Modern man lives among huge streams of information. Willy-nilly, he is forced to navigate in them. The rapid development of communications requires from the user, first of all, the ability to work with texts. Only those who are able to understand what the author wanted to say, that is, to highlight the main idea of a particular text, can find useful and discard unnecessary.
It is necessary
- - several texts on different topics;
- - a certain amount of time;
- - paper;
- - a pen.
Instructions
Step 1
Read the title of the text. In order to define the main idea of a scientific and technical article, this may be enough. When giving a title to a scientific work, the author usually immediately tries to make the reader understand what he wanted to say. It is also recommended to start with a heading if you want to define the main idea of a fictional or journalistic text. However, in this case, you are unlikely to immediately receive a direct answer.
Step 2
If the author used a famous quote, proverb or saying as a title, remember where this expression came from and what it means. Also think about when this phrase is usually used and what is most often meant. The name may contain a part of the winged expression. Remember the rest of it.
Step 3
The title of a work does not always directly indicate a metaphor, as well as an expression that is not associated with any other works. Review the text. Try to understand what problem the author is interested in, what aspects of life or phenomena occupy him, that is, determine the subject of speech.
Step 4
The subject of speech is not always possible to highlight with a cursory scan. If you are working on a major piece of art, you will most likely have to read it in its entirety. Read part by part, each time determining what is being said in a particular chapter. The attitude of the writer 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 keep them short and clear.
Step 5
The author of a fictional text influences the thoughts and feelings of the reader using 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, even those techniques that give the text the necessary coloring cannot be ignored.
Step 6
Try to understand how the author achieves persuasiveness, what concepts and evidence he uses. If you are going to write a term paper or an abstract on this work, justify your position using the same techniques. You can either agree with the author's position or try to refute it.
Step 7
Determining the main idea of an entire 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 certain battle or everyday phenomenon. Consider whether the writer cares about this particular event or the phenomenon in general. Formulate his attitude to this phenomenon.
Step 8
The main idea of the text can be expressed in the last lines of the work. Be sure to compare your findings with the author's.
