Understanding the Main Point

Understanding the Main Point

Work out what a short text is mostly about.

Find the main point

  • Ask: What is this mostly about?
  • Look for the important idea.

Ignore small details

  • Some words give extra information.
  • The main point is the big idea.

Examples

Example 1

  1. Text: “Lena put on her coat and boots. She went outside in the rain.”
  2. The small details are coat and boots.
  3. Main point: Lena went outside in the rain.

Example 2

  1. Text: “Our class planted seeds. We watered them each day.”
  2. Both sentences are about planting seeds.
  3. Main point: The class planted and cared for seeds.

Practice Questions

  • Text: “The shop sells bread, milk and fruit.” What is it mostly about?
    Answer: What the shop sells
    The text lists things sold in the shop.
  • Text: “Joe put on his coat because it was cold.” What is the main point?
    Answer: Joe kept warm
    The coat helped Joe because it was cold.
  • Text: “The puppy played with a ball all afternoon.” What is it mostly about?
    Answer: The puppy playing
    The main idea is the puppy played.
  • Text: “Mum made soup. It was warm and tasty.” What is the main point?
    Answer: Mum made soup
    The other details describe the soup.
  • Text: “We walked to the park and played on the swings.” What is mostly happening?
    Answer: A trip to the park
    The text is about going to the park.
Start the interactive Understanding the Main Point lesson → ← Back to Functional English