The main idea

What is a main idea ?

The main idea is the point of paragraph. It is the most important thought abaou a
topic. The author can located the main idea in different place within in a
paragraph. The main idea is usually a sentence. Another sentences to support a
main idea.

Why the main idea is important ?

The main idea is the most important idea because abaout the topic and is
expressed as a phrase or a sentence.

Where can we find the main idea ?

We can find it at the biginning, at the midle or also at the end of a paragraph

Paragraph 1

Malaria is an infection disease transmitted by mosquitoes, and it is one of

the commonest causes of sickness and death in the world. If an infented
mosquito bites a person, minute parasite ( protozoon ) are injected into his
bloodstream, where they multiply rapidly. As the parasites multiply, they
destroy the red cells of the blood, and the victim suffers an attack of fever. The
symtoms of the attack are headache, violent shivering and anemia. If the
disease is untreated most patients will recover after a dozen attacks, but if the
are complications, malaria may lead to death from the loss of blood cells and
exhaustion from repeated infection.

The main idea isMalaria is an infection disease transmitted by mosquitoes

Paragrap 2

Thirty years ago, housewives went to the market places to buy many
different things they need. Some of them walked, some took a bus to the
market place in town, and others just bought their needs at the little shops
round the cover of the street, including vegetables. Now adays in a big city like
 Semarang, whole families drive to the supermarket for their once-a-week
shopping or even for their once-a month shopping. Their park their car at the
car park provided at the super-market, or at the car park near at hand. They
have to walk around the traffic-fee areas. They something drive to garden
centres and farm shops outside the town. Shopping today is easier than thirty
years ago because people can buy most thinks in one trip now.

The main idea : Shopping in the past and today

Find out the main idea in each paragraph bellow. Do as an example

1.There are two principal types of banking. One is commercial banking and other
is central banking. A commercial bank provides various services to its
customers. Two of the services are accepting saving deposites from its
customers and providing loans to them. A commercial bank also serves as a
place where its costumers can pay some of their bills, like those for telephone
or electricity. It may also rent safe deposit boxes to it customers. In the U.S.A
some commercial bank buy travel tickets for their customers.

The main idea is .............................................

2.Advertising is a commonly used technique for recruiting people from outside.

The advertising medium should be chosen according to the type of public the
organization is aiming at. If a highly specialized person is required, a specialty
publication such as a trade magazine may be most appropriate. National
newspapers and magazines sometimes carry a Senior Appointments section,
ora Classified Ads section for less specialized personnel. Radio and television
advertising of vacancies is relatively underdeveloped in most countries.

The main idea is ............................................

3.A group of food additives includes vitamins, animoacids, and minerals which are
added to foodstuffs to compensate for losses occurring during processing or to
provide additional sources in diets that might otherwise be deficient in such
nutrients. Examples of their use include enrichment of margarine with with the
addition of vitamin A, and niacinamide to flour or bread. Salt often has a small
 amount of iodine added to it to avoid a diet deficiency that can cause goitre
development.

The main idea is ............................................

4. Boys and girls learn their lessons easily, take in the knowledge and understand
new ideas more readily, if their daily program includes period of sport and
physical exercise which they enjoy. As Coubartin said, the time given to sport is
not lost; it pays a big devidens in the greater alertness of pupils in other
lessons, and their greater ability to absorb and retain

The main idea is ............................................

5.Another inter-relationship of these living things concerns the food supply : what
eats what. Let us begin with the plants. Plants are unique among living things in
that they manufacture their own food. Thus the algae, the water lilies, and the
pondweed all manufacture their own food, which they do with the help of
sunlight. Some small insects, or their larvae, eat algae. Mosquito larvae, for
example feed on algae. In turn, bigger insect eat the mosquito larvae or other
smaller insects, and in turn, too, the bigger insects are eaten by fish or frogs.
Some fish also feed directly on larvae.

The main idea is ............................................

6. We have two kinds of seasons in Indonesia, the wet and the dry monsoon.
During the wet monsoon, its rains quite a lot every day. In fact there is always
the dangerous of floods. This lasts for about 4 to 5 months. It is usually
preceded by a transitional period full of thunderstorms. When rainfall stops,
the dry monsoon strats. This also lasts for about 4 to 5 months. During this
time, the ground in the rice-fields becomes dry, so that the farmers plant corn
or other crops, such as cucumber, melons, potatoes or even onions.

The main idea is ............................................

7. Kuta Resort has nearly solved the local unemployement problems. This
statement was put forward by the governor at the pleanary meeting in The
House of the People held on 24th August 1990, a local daily news report said.
The governor stated futher that evidence on the matter has shown the fact.
The unemployment rate 1975 was said to be about 38 %, and it had dropped
to every encouraging figure in 1990. The unemployment rate has now become
8 %. This has been due to the new jobs which are recently open to the local
workers as well as to the local residents. These new jobs were made available
by the tourist industry and by the newly built companies. They have taken up
no less than 750 local residents. Whereas opening the modern stores and
shops of various discription have provided no less than 150 employments. No
mention was made, however, of the children sellers that are always hanging
around at the beach.

The main idea is ............................................