tailieunhanh - Reading comprehension success part 5

Tham khảo tài liệu 'reading comprehension success part 5', ngoại ngữ, kỹ năng đọc tiếng anh phục vụ nhu cầu học tập, nghiên cứu và làm việc hiệu quả | LESSON Finding the Main Idea 2k LESSON SUMMARY 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. When 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 something to say a motive when they pick up a pen or pencil to write. Where a detective might ask Why did the butler 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. 27 FINDING THE MAIN IDEA Subject vs. Main Idea There s a difference between the subject of a piece of writing and its main idea. To see the difference look again at the passage about the postal system. Don t skip over it You read it in Lesson 1 but please read it again and read it carefully. Today s postal service is more efficient and reliable than ever before. Mail that used to take months to move by horse and foot now moves around the country in days or hours by truck train and plane. First-class mail usually moves from New York City to Los Angeles in three days or less. If your letter or