W
hen Lesson 1 talked about establishing the facts—the who, what, when, where, and how—it
omitted one very important question: Why? Now you’re ready to tackle that all-important question.
Just as there’s a motive behind every crime, there’s also a “motive” behind every piece of writing.
All writing is communication: A writer writes to convey his or her thoughts to an audience, the reader: you.
Just as you have something to say (a motive) when you pick up the phone to call someone, writers have some-
thing to say (a motive) when they pick up a pen or pencil to write. Where a detective might ask, “Why did the but-
ler do it?” the reader might ask, “Why did the author write this? What idea is he or she trying to convey?” What
you’re really asking is, “What is the writer’s main idea?”
Finding the main idea is much like finding the motive of the crime. It’s the motive of the crime (the
why
)
that usually determines the other factors (the
who, what, when, where,
and
how
). Similarly, in writing, the main
idea also determines the
who, what, when
, and
where
the writer will write about, as well as
how
he or she will write.
L E S S O N
Finding the
Main Idea
L E S S O N S U M M A R Y
A detective finds the facts to determine “whodunit” and what the motive
was. A reader determines the facts not only for their own sake but also
to find out why the author is writing: What’s the main idea? This lesson
shows you how to determine the main idea of what you read.
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