Modern man lives among huge flows of information. Willy-nilly, he is forced to navigate them. The rapid development of communications requires the user first of all the ability to work with texts. To find useful and discard unnecessary can only be one who is able to understand what the author wanted to say, that is, highlight the main idea of a text.
You will need
- - several texts of different subjects;
- - some amount of time;
- - paper;
- - a pen.
Instruction manual
1
Read the name of the text. In order to determine the main idea of a scientific and technical article, this may be enough. Giving a name to a scientific work, the author usually immediately tries to make clear to the reader what he wanted to say. Starting with a heading is also recommended if you want to define the main idea of a fiction or journalistic text. True, in this case, you are unlikely to immediately get a direct answer.
2
If the author used a well-known quote, proverb or saying as a name, remember where this expression came from and what it means. Consider also in what cases this phrase is usually used and what they most often mean. The name may also include part of the winged expression. Remember the rest of it.
3
The title of the work does not always directly indicate a metaphor, as well as an expression that is not associated with any other works. View the text. Try to understand what kind of problem the author is interested in, what aspects of life or phenomena he is interested in, that is, determine the subject of speech.
4
The subject of speech is not always possible to highlight during fluent viewing. If you are working with a major work of art, you will most likely have to read it in its entirety. Read in parts, each time determining what is said in a particular chapter. The writer’s attitude to the subject of speech is precisely the main idea. For convenience, you can write down the main thoughts of each section of the work. Try to express them briefly and clearly.
5
The author of a literary text influences the thoughts and feelings of the reader through a variety of techniques. Thanks to them, the main idea is often veiled. The reader understands what is at stake, he instinctively feels how the author relates to certain phenomena, but cannot formulate this. Try to separate meaningful words from those that create an emotional background. However, those techniques that give the text the necessary coloring cannot be ignored.
6
Try to understand how the author is convincing, with what concepts and evidence he operates. If you are going to write a term paper or essay on this work, justify your position using the same techniques. You can either agree with the position of the author, or try to refute it.
7
Defining the main idea of the whole large text requires some generalization skills. If in the analysis of each section we can talk about specific characters or events, then when determining the subject of speech of a large work, it is necessary to operate with global concepts, even if the author talks about a specific battle or everyday phenomenon. Think about whether the writer is concerned about this particular event or phenomenon in general. Formulate his attitude to this phenomenon.
8
The main idea of the text can be expressed in the last lines of the work. Be sure to compare your findings with copyright.
