Main Ideas in Summaries

The main idea is the most important point that the author is making about a topic. When you read or write a summary of a passage, make sure that you understand the original author's main idea. An effective summary typically includes a restatement of the main idea. (An effective summary may also mention supporting details if the details are crucial to the author's point, but this is not always necessary.)

One way to identify a passage's main idea is to look for the most general opinion or point of view being expressed. The most general opinion is the broadest one, the viewpoint that covers or includes all the narrower or more specific ideas. Many passages also contain a main idea statement—a sentence that answers the question, “What is the most important thing being said about the topic in this passage?”