3. Every structure has to be supported by something or it will
collapse.
That support also gives shape to the structure and makes it
functional and meaningful.
The same is true of writing. Without supporting details, a
composition has only a general idea and nothing specific that the
reader can relate to.
Such writing is not effective because it doesn’t enable the
reader to understand the point of the writing; it has no meaning
for the reader.
In order to communicate effectively, a writer must clarify
general ideas with specific details.
In order to understand what is written, the reader must be
able to identify specific details.
4.
5. = a general statement that indicates the
subject and focus of the paragraph (main idea)
Supporting Details = information that clarifies the main idea
= aspects of the topic that show how it
supports the main idea of the writing
= specific examples of the ,
which gives the reader a mental picture of the idea the
writer wants to convey.
= a statement that reminds the reader
of the point of the paragraph
Paragraph Terms
6.
7. There are different kinds of paragraphs:
▪ Introductions – overview of issue, focus, and content
▪ Body paragraphs – explanation/support of main point
▪ Conclusions – summary of main point and support
Body paragraphs contain the supporting details that clarify the
overall point for the reader.
Body paragraphs may be structured in a variety of ways, but
they will all contain supporting details.
Following is a diagram of a “typical” body paragraph, showing
content and structure.
9. Your memory operates through three
stages to take in, sort, and store information for
later use. Encoding is the first stage, during
which ideas are processed through your five
senses. During the storage stage, information is
either discarded or sorted and then retained
briefly in short-term memory or transferred
into long-term memory, where it may become
permanent. Retrieval, the third stage of
memory, allows you to recall stored ideas and
images.
Sample Paragraph
10. All supporting details do the same thing, but there are
different kinds:
Kinds Transitions
(some may overlap)
Facts – verifiable
▲dates
▲places
▲people
▲events
Reasons – why or how
Examples – illustration or explanation
in [year], on [date], one
person who. . . , when
they [event]
one reason, because, why
for example, for instance,
one way, to illustrate
11. Facts
∆ Edson Arantes do Nascimento, generally known as Pélé, dominated soccer for two
decades.
• In 1956, Pélé joined. . . .
• In 1958, He played in the World Cup. . . .
• In 1970, in another victory for Brazil. . . .
Reasons
∆ Jackie Robinson is an athlete I admire.
• For one reason, he broke. . . .
• Also, when faced with prejudice. . . .
• Another reason I admire Robinson is that he. . . .
Examples
∆ Female athletes in most major sports have proved that they can compete successfully
with male athletes.
• For example, in the seventies, Billy Jean King. . . .
• Also, Manon Rheaume made history. . . .
• Katie Hnida, the first woman to play in a Division 1-A football game, showed that. . . .
12.
13. To find the supporting details, follow this procedure:
▪ Look for a general statement that covers the rest of the
paragraph = topic sentence.
▪ Identify the focus of the topic sentence.
▪ Find details in the paragraph that illustrate the main idea =
major support.
. . . . . .
▪ Find specific details that explain the major support = minor
support.
. . . . . .
14. Supporting details are information that clarifies (supports) the general
point of a paragraph. They give the information that the topic sentence
introduces, or the topic sentence is general enough to cover all of the
details.
is aspects of the topic that show how it supports the main
idea of the writing
is specific examples of the , which gives the
reader a mental picture of the idea the writer wants to convey.
Major support is more specific than the topic sentence, and minor support
is more specific than major support.
Supporting details can be facts, reasons, or examples, and are usually
accompanied by transitions that indicate the kind of detail they are.
(Transitions may not be the first word in the sentence.)
15.
16. To apply these principles to a larger writing context, look for the
elements in the same area of the writing.
Writing
Paragraph
Essay
Article
Chapter
Book
Subject Matter/Main Idea Supporting Details/Examples
Topic Sentence, implication
Title, first paragraph/thesis statement,
section headers
Title, section headers
Preface/introduction
Title, section headers, chapter outline or
first paragraph
General and specific statements within
the paragraph
Thesis statement, topic sentences,
statements within the paragraphs
Topic sentences, statements within the
paragraphs, tables and charts
Topic sentences, statements within the
paragraphs, tables and charts
Section headers, topic sentences,
statements within the paragraphs, tables
and charts
17. It started with a seamstress from Montgomery, Alabama, who refused to give up her seat on a city bus. Her
name was Rosa Parks. Every morning, she got on the bus and sat in the back, as black people were required to do. But
December 1, 1955, was different. On that day, Parks got on the bus as usual and took her seat in the back. When a white
passenger was unable to find a seat in the front of the bus, the driver told Parks to give up her seat. She refused.
Parks was arrested for breaking the law; she was tried on December 5 and found guilty. Supporters of equal
rights for black people, led by Martin Luther King, Jr., rallied around Parks and staged a boycott of the city bus system that
lasted a little more than a year. The Supreme Court’s decision to end segregation on public transportation ended the
boycott.
The boycott was only the first in a series of nonviolent demonstrations that reached a high point in 1963. King
led the march on Washington D.C., where he told those assembled, “I have a dream.” King’s dream was of an America
where all people could live in peace and racial harmony. The movement’s persistence led to the enactment of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed segregation in public facilities and in hiring practices. Two other important pieces of
legislation followed: the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
From one woman’s stand against the Montgomery city bus system in 1955 to the enactment of anti-
discriminatory laws in the 1960s had been a long ride. Following these legislative victories, the movement and its
supporters turned their attention to improving education and eradicating racial prejudice.
18. Kanar, Carol. The Reader's Corner. 3rd ed., Houghton Mifflin, 2008, pp. 12-15.
