what is the main topic and the main idea of ​​the text and got the best answer

Answer from Kot Kotofeevich[guru]
In linguistics, there is still no generally accepted definition of the concept of "text". The reason for this is that scholars, as a rule, single out those aspects of the text that, in their opinion, are the main ones, without pretending to be complete in definitions.
The question of the relationship between text and sentence is of great importance. Most scholars believe that some texts may consist of one sentence (simple or complex). These cases are quite rare and exist only in such sentences where it is possible to detect signs of the text itself.
So, a text is a group of sentences related in meaning and grammatically.
A topic is what (or about whom) the text is talking about: a range of events, phenomena, problems, concepts, etc. Each text is created on a specific topic. All his proposals are united by a common theme. The unity of the theme ensures the integrity of the text, regardless of the number of parts into which it is divided. The topic determines the content of the text. The general theme is divided into a number of micro-themes that are subordinate to it, reveal it. The theme of a text can be expressed in its heading.
The main idea, the idea - this is the main thing that the author of the text wanted to say. Topic and main idea are related. In addition, the main idea also determines the content of the text. It can be formulated in one of his sentences. But more often than not, you need to formulate the main idea yourself, having thoughtfully read the text. The main idea (like the topic) can be expressed in the title of the text.
Text structure
The external structure of the text, as a rule, can be characterized by three parts: introduction, main part, conclusion. Its internal structure is often much more complicated, since it represents the deployment of the composition. In addition, when creating a text, its stylistic affiliation is also taken into account. For example, it is obvious that the official text of the statement and the literary text of the story are not identical in terms of internal organization. Thus, there are texts compiled according to a predetermined scheme, and texts characterized by relative freedom of construction, depending on the individual style of presentation of the author.
Paragraph. The structure of the text is characterized by the fact that it is divided into units larger than sentences - paragraphs.
Each paragraph has its own micro-theme, which plays the role of the main connecting beginning in the named segment of the text. Not all paragraphs are solid. Sometimes they are multi-disciplinary.
The main sign that signals the boundary between paragraphs is the transition from one micro-topic to another. In addition, paragraphs are characterized by intonation of the beginning and end: its completion is marked, as a rule, by a significant decrease in tone and a final long pause; the beginning of the next paragraph is determined by the rise in tone.
Sentences not included in paragraphs. Not all sentences of the text are included in the paragraph. Most often they are the first and last sentences of a speech work (which do not refer to any one paragraph, but to the text as a whole), as well as author's digressions. Such sentences are relatively independent in terms of meaning.

Good luck!

Answer from Nikita tanks[newbie]
Thank you

Answer from Natalya Madyanova[newbie]
topic of the text

§ 1 Highlighting a topic in the text

The text is a statement that consists of two or more sentences related by meaning. A certain order of sentences in the text allows you to convey the development of thought. All sentences in the text are united by a common theme. We will learn to highlight in the text its main idea as the main one for which it was written.

Read the text.

Spring in the forest

Early spring in the forest begins to awaken a stormy life. Melting winter snow. Overhead, thin birch branches strewn with resinous buds are visible. More and more bird voices are heard in the forest.

What does this text say? About spring. So the theme of the text is spring, or, more precisely, spring in the forest.

What general idea is developed by all sentences of the text? The most important, basic idea of ​​this text is expressed in the first sentence: In early spring, a stormy life begins to awaken in the forest. And the rest of the proposals develop it, i.e. awakening is seen in the melting of snow, the appearance of buds, the singing of birds.

§ 2 The main idea of ​​the text

The main idea can be stated at the beginning of the text (in this case, subsequent sentences develop it), and can also be a conclusion from the entire text.

Read the following text.

The old moose dozed off in the sun. She sensitively hears every rustle, every disturbing sound. A small calf frolics carelessly at her feet. He knows that neither a gray wolf nor an evil lynx robber will let him offend a sensitive and strong mother.

(according to I. Sokolov-Mikitov)

Who is this text about? That's right, about the old moose and her calf.

What main idea does the author want to convey to us, why does he tell this story? The author tells us that the moose cow will always protect her calf. This thought is expressed in the last sentence and is the conclusion from the entire text: He knows that neither the gray wolf nor the evil lynx robber will let him be offended by a sensitive and strong mother.

So, to find the topic of the text, you need to ask the question: about whom or what is this text about?

And to find out its main idea, you need to ask the question: why was the text written?

The title of the work may correspond to its theme, or it may express the main idea.

The text can be written both to express some basic thought, and to convey some main experience, impression.

Read an excerpt from the fairy tale by Sergei Kozlov, which is called "Winter's Tale":

“It has been snowing since morning. The little bear was sitting on the edge of the forest, on a stump, with his head up and counting and licking the snowflakes that fell on his nose. Snowflakes fell sweet, fluffy, and before falling completely, they stood on tiptoe. Oh, how fun it was!

From the text it is clear that the mood of the Bear cub was joyful, cheerful. This can be seen from the last sentence: Oh, how fun it was! It is exclamatory in tone.

This sentence does not express the main idea, but the main experience of the text. Who perceives a winter morning this way: the author, the Teddy Bear or snowflakes? Of course, the Bear Cub, because it is he who examines, tastes the snowflakes, rejoices. And the name corresponds not to the theme, but to the main experience.

§ 3 An example of highlighting the topic and the main idea

Let's consider one more excerpt from Sergei Kozlov's fairy tale, find its theme and main experience.

“It was the most extraordinary spring of all that the Hedgehog remembered. The trees blossomed, the grass turned green, and thousands of rain-washed birds sang in the forest. Blue snowdrops bloomed first. Then the dandelions bloomed. Even the old stump has sprouted green shoots."

The theme of this text is the beauty of spring nature. The main thing in it is the feeling of admiration in spring, the experience of the beauty of the awakening forest. This is stated in the first sentence: It was the most extraordinary spring of all that the Hedgehog remembered. The main experience of the hero of the fairy tale - the Hedgehog is transmitted. Therefore, the passage can be entitled Unusual Spring, which will correspond to the experience of the Hedgehog.

List of used literature:

1. Russian language: 2nd grade: Textbook: at 3 hours / N.A. Churakova; ed. M.L.Kalenchuk. - M .: Akademkniga / Textbook, 2012. - Part 1.
2. Russian language: 2nd grade: Textbook: at 3 hours / M.L. Kalenchuk, O.V. Malakhovskaya, N.A. Churakova - M .: Akademkniga / Textbook, 2012. - Part 2.
3. Russian language: 2 cells. Methodical manual / M.L. Kalenchuk, O.V. Malakhovskaya, N.A. Churakova - M .: Academic book / Textbook, 2012.
4. Spelling secrets: Book for students of grades 5-7 / G.G. Granik, S.M. Bondarenko, L.A. Kontsevaya. - M.: Enlightenment, 1991

Used images:

The concept of text is very vague. Usually it is defined as several sentences related in meaning. At the same time, there are texts consisting of only one sentence, and it happens that the boundaries are difficult to determine: for example, on the Internet you can often see in one text a link to another or several others, and those, in turn, are also linked to other texts . It turns out an endless labyrinth of text arrays, in a sense, they are a single whole, called hypertext. The same principle can be traced in ordinary paper books - dictionaries and encyclopedias. The hypertext contains many different themes and thoughts.

Let's consider the text in its usual, most common sense - as a set of several sentences interconnected in meaning - and try to answer the question: how to determine the topic and main idea of ​​the text?

Theme and main idea: connection and difference

With the definition of the topic, as a rule, there are no problems: it lies on the surface. Here is the main idea, laid down by the author, is not always obvious. These two concepts form two different levels of understanding of the text: they both determine its content, but if the topic indicates a problem, then the idea either develops it and leads the reader to a logical conclusion, or leaves the question open, leaving a field for discussion.

Subject

In any finished text material all proposals are united by a common theme. Unity ensures its integrity, regardless of the number of parts into which it may be divided. The topic sets the content of the material, while it can be divided into a number of micro-themes subordinate to it, revealing it from different angles.

The basic idea

This is about the author's message. contained in the text and underlying it. If the topic itself does not express the author's attitude to the issue under consideration, but simply indicates the scope of this issue, then the main idea already conveys the author's assessment, his vision of the problem. The main idea is not always obvious and unambiguous: it all depends on how the author expresses it, what language means he uses.

For example, in fiction, the author's point of view can be expressed by one of the characters, and this character is not necessarily the main one. It often happens that the idea itself is not expressed concretely at all - in such cases the reader either relies on his own perception and draws conclusions on his own, or resorts to additional sources of information. An idea that is not expressed unambiguously turns into a figurative thought of an emotionally generalized nature, which only approximately allows one to formulate it as an abstract judgment. It is in such cases that different and even opposite interpretations of the material arise.

To define a topic means to understand what or who the text is about. Any textual analysis, including the definition of a topic, must begin with reading it.

Here are a few clues to help you identify the topic:

1. Title. Very often it reflects the theme and content of the entire text, especially if it is an informational, journalistic or scientific article. It happens that it contains the main idea, but we will return to this later. As for literary texts, their titles, at first glance, are very far from both the topic and the idea, and only after a thoughtful reading and deep analysis can this connection be established.
2. Subtitles. They usually separate text fragments devoted to micro topics from each other; With subheadings, it's usually easy to identify the topic.
3. Key (supporting) words and their synonyms. Any topic has in its arsenal a certain set of words that are specific to it. These can be various terms, for example, medical, construction, musical, and so on. By keywords, it is easy to determine the topic of informational, journalistic or scientific articles, but as for literary texts, this is not always possible, in such cases it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the content.

When working with any literature, it is very important to be able to independently highlight one or more main ideas, this helps to compose a concise presentation of the text and contributes to better assimilation of information.

There are several tools and techniques to help you do this:

1. Following a logical thread. Thoughtful reading of the material will allow you to build a theme-rhematic chain, and, together with the author, follow the development of the narrative logic. Let's explain the terms: the topic is what is already known, and the rheme is new information. Often such a study of the logical development of the text - the alternation of themes and rhemes - suggests its main meaning.
2. Key (supporting) words and their synonyms. As in the case of the definition of the topic, keywords and phrases that carry an important semantic load can help here.
3. Subheadings and paragraphs. Reading subheadings often in itself allows you to build a logical chain, decipher the author's idea. Along with subheadings in the text material, there is a division into paragraphs, which helps to distinguish semantic parts, to highlight what the author considers necessary to emphasize.
4. Connection with the topic. The definition of the topic always precedes the selection of the main idea of ​​the text, being the first stage of its understanding. Having caught the general theme and how exactly the author reveals it, one can establish the main idea - a kind of fusion of the theme with the idea. Only in such an inseparable combination of these two components is it possible to realize the author's intention, the formation of the author's assessment.
5. Analysis and synthesis. Any material becomes more understandable if, during its study, it is possible to combine the study of individual details with an assessment of the general plan, covering the entire object. The combination of analysis and synthesis is a necessary stage leading to the results of the study of the material.

Step-by-step instruction

When defining a topic and main idea, follow these rules:

1. Read the entire text carefully, paying attention to its heading, subheadings and paragraphs, noting key words.
2. Try to answer the question: what interests the author of the text in question? What is most important to him? The subject of study is often placed in the heading, but it should be remembered that headings do not always directly indicate the subject, but can be metaphorical, associative, and even paradoxical. Therefore, you should not rely solely on the meaning of the title, highlighting the main idea.

3. Determine the task that the author set himself when writing the text. Try to understand what the author is trying to convey to the reader. Here are some options:

   • the author wants to draw the attention of the audience to a topical issue;
   • the author expresses his subjective attitude to the issue;
   • the author gives a description of some event, presenting specific information to the reader's attention.
4. Think about what are the distinctive features of the author's perception? From what side are the problems covered? What position distinguishes the author's point of view? What assessment does the author give to events, phenomena, objects? The answers to these questions will help form the general idea of ​​the text, as well as the purpose of the story.
5. Having decided on the author's position, suggest why it is that way? What arguments, facts, evidence are given to support it? On what is such an assessment based?
6. Mark the language means designed to hold attention, interest the reader, convince him of the correctness of the author's judgments. Depending on the style in which the material is presented, the text may contain expressive expressions and various tropes that contribute to the expression of the author's attitude to an object or phenomenon.
7. Analyze the author's conclusions. They can be formulated in a specific phrase or phrases, usually at the very end, less often at the beginning of the narrative. The main idea may not be clearly formulated, but the purpose of the entire text is to lead the reader to this thought, so try to draw an independent conclusion by completing the last link in the logical chain. At the same time, it is desirable to keep within the framework of the general style and use the same speech techniques that the author used in his work.

In the last paragraph, there may be options depending on what the purpose of revealing the main idea is. If text analysis is required within the framework of the curriculum, then conclusions should be formulated as the author himself would have done. If you need to write a summary for your own purposes, it is better to write the essence of the material in your own words, which later will help to quickly restore what was read in memory.

Video

In our video you will find a detailed master class on determining the main idea of ​​the text.

When studying a text, be it a fiction novel, a scientific dissertation, a pamphlet, a poem, an anecdote, the first thing the reader asks, sorting through words and sentences - what is written here, what did the author want to express with a set of these particular words? When the writer managed to fully reveal his idea, it is not difficult to understand it, the main idea of ​​the text is already clear in the process of reading, and the leitmotif runs through the whole story. But when the idea itself is ephemeral, and even expressed not literally, but in metaphors, figurative description, it can be quite difficult to understand the author. Each reader will see in the main idea of ​​the text something of his own, close, depending on his worldview, the level of his position in society. And it is very likely that what is learned and understood by the reader will be far from such a concept as the main idea of ​​the text, which the author himself tried to put into the work.

The Importance of Identifying the Main Idea

In most cases, the general impression is formed even before the last phrase is read, and the high ideas of the writer, with which he set to work, remain incomprehensible or completely unknown. In this case, it is very difficult for the layman to understand the enthusiasm of his friends or the positive reviews of respected experts on this work. Bewilderment about the fact that someone found something special in it, and someone did not, can at best puzzle, at worst - form a certain The latter concerns particularly impressionable readers, and there are many of them. It is worth paying special attention to the works that caused polar reviews and understand what caused these impressions.

It is necessary to determine the main idea of ​​the text. How to do it? To begin with, you should answer a few questions: “What did the author want to express and convey to the reader in his work, what made him take up the pen?” It is possible to determine the tasks that a writer, journalist or publicist set for himself, based on a comparison of the time when the text was written and the time where the author transferred the events described in it.

Typical examples of the definition of the main in the text

A rather characteristic example of this method of cognition is the immortal and brilliant work of Mikhail Bulgakov "Heart of a Dog". In each sentence, in a single passage, there is an allegorical attitude of the writer to the events taking place in the country after the 1917 revolution. Here the theme and the main idea of ​​the text are veiled under the implausible transformation of one living individual into another under the influence of external factors. Bulgakov's attitude to global transformations in the state and the minds of its citizens is expressed as precisely and frankly as possible. He conveyed his position to the reader through the stylistic presentation of the text, highlighting the entire range of problems that arose in the country at that time, using the example of the private life of the inhabitants of a single apartment and their relationships with others. Comparing the important and minor events described in the story and taking place in the country, you can understand how to find the main idea of ​​the text through the presentation of these events by the author.

Alignment with the author

In addition to the above example of determining the main idea in a work, there are several ways of a general nature, without reference to a specific author and his work. The most common is a careful reading of the text and the selection of several main associations that have arisen in the process of reading. If from the first time it was possible to understand the author and what he writes about, it is not worth rushing to assert that the main idea of ​​the text has been found. It is better to convey your understanding of the topic in one or two sentences, and then reread the work again. If the conviction that everything was understood correctly the first time is confirmed, then the main idea of ​​the text is stated intelligibly and with an ideal presentation. But if, with each subsequent reading, more and more new associations arise, one should try to penetrate more deeply into what has been stated and, along the way, get acquainted with the reviews of this work of the author. It is likely that, apart from himself, no one else understood anything. And in this case, it is impossible to choose a method of how to find the main idea of ​​the text.

Fortunately, there are very few works for the general public that are not amenable to analysis and reasonable perception, and such difficulties can arise when getting acquainted with topics of a narrow specific nature, but they, as a rule, arouse interest among a certain circle of readers whose way of thinking and life are close to each other. the main theme of these works.

If the topic is set by the author himself

So, back to the general rule for determining the main idea of ​​the text. After rereading the work two or three times, if the opportunity, desire and necessity require it, it is important to understand exactly what it is about and retell its essence. Sometimes the main thing in the text is hidden by the layering of overly lush and flowery phrases, it all depends on the style of presentation of the topic by the author. But if it was possible to formulate the main thing in one short and concise phrase, then the author managed to convey to the reader his attitude to the events or characters described.

From title to text

Sometimes the main idea of ​​the work lies in its table of contents. This happens quite often. Sometimes the title is the key to the whole work, and in this case, the method of how to determine the main idea of ​​the text is to express it expanded. For example, the theme of the novel by Nikolai Chernyshevsky “What is to be done?” is determined by a direct answer to the question posed in its table of contents or in the characteristic chapters describing the dreams of Vera Pavlovna. The title of the novel at the end of the phrase is the key to finding the main idea. If there are proper names in the title of the text, the attitude towards them that has developed after reading is also the key to determining the main thing in the foregoing.

Read and think

And finally, one more characteristic way of how to determine the main idea of ​​the text. To do this, it is necessary to understand what conclusions the author himself makes from what the narration was about. This can be framed as a kind of conclusion to which the author led the reader, and at the end of the work he drew a line under his idea with a few phrases. The example of morality in fables shows that in such cases the main idea is determined by the author himself, and the reader is left to either agree with it or not.

Most often in literature lessons, but sometimes in Russian, there are assignments in which the teacher requires students to determine the main or main idea of ​​the work.

However, in order to find the correct answer, and, accordingly, to get a good grade, the guys must understand what this task is. That is, what is meant by the main idea of ​​a work or its separate sentence.

To understand this issue as thoroughly as possible, read the article. And you will know what the main idea of ​​the text is.

What is text

It is not at all necessary that the text should be voluminous and consist of several simple, complex or complex sentences. There are even literary works, in which there is only one capacious and understandable sentence.

Yes, and it itself is not always a long structure. Often in speech or writing you can find such a form where all the necessary information will be conveyed in a single word.

Nevertheless, no matter how the story, poem or everyday dialogue is presented, it certainly contains the main idea of ​​the text.

What is the connection of sentences grammatically and in meaning

In most cases, we are faced with texts that include not one, but a whole group of sentences. The main condition for compiling a full-fledged, logical, meaningful and interesting text is the obligatory connection of these sentences grammatically and in meaning:

grammatical connection implies the dependence of the word forms of the current sentence with those used in the previous and subsequent ones. That is, the proposals must be coordinated, as if to follow one from the other.

Connection of sentences by meaning means that the entire text is connected by sentences and the main idea (common for the entire text), which can be traced in each of them.

Types of semantic connection of sentences in the text

So, we found out that sentences should be connected grammatically and in meaning. However, the semantic connection must be built competently and logically. To do this, it is important to learn the following classification of the connection of sentences in a text or speech:

chain- the peculiarity of the construction of the text is that each subsequent sentence reveals the content of the current one in more detail. For example: The brown bear lives in the forest. The forest is the place where these animals build their lairs, hunt, and breed. From an early age, bear cubs learn to get their own food, with the help of their mother bear.

Parallel - the nature of this connection is different, it implies the equality of sentences (enumeration, comparison, opposition), and not "clinging" one to the other. For example: The weather was great outside, it was snowing. Vaska and I decided to meet and go sledding down the mountain. Only when we with difficulty climbed to the top, and I was already preparing to race downhill, my friend chickened out. The idea failed, and the mood was spoiled.

Thus, in order to understand what the main idea of ​​the text is, one should delve into the content and make a mental analysis of each sentence.

Theme and main idea of ​​the text

Additional parts of speech help to organically enter sentences into the text. For example, you can use unions, particles, introductory words, pronouns, etc. After all, they give liveliness, brightness and richness to a dry statement of facts.

The correct (in meaning and grammatically) construction of sentences just serves to form the main idea and, consequently, the theme of the text.

The theme is the direction of the work, the problem that rises in it, its essence. It determines what the narrative is, the content of the text. Often expressed directly in the title.

The main (main) idea is the author's message to the readers, what he wanted to convey to people, to the world with the help of his work. It can be expressed in the title or in one of the sentences of the text, but more often it needs to be “fished out” on your own, after carefully reading the entire text.

Why is it important to be able to extract the main idea from the works

Do you remember the saying that sounded in the famous work of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin that your parents and grandparents must have read to you in childhood? If not, then here's what it is: “A fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it, a lesson for good fellows!”

Later, this expression became a catchphrase referring to almost all children's stories described in books. Yes, and to many adult works, too. After all, a “lesson” is a combination of the theme and the main idea of ​​any work. Something that has a certain educational effect on us.

However, in order to catch this very hint, one should understand what the main idea of ​​the tale implies. In other words, learn to independently determine the topic and the main idea of ​​the text.

How to learn to highlight the main idea

In order to correctly identify the idea of ​​the work, one should remember the following aspects that are important to be guided by when reading any text:

Follow the flow of the story, the development of events and logic.

Pay attention to headings (they can be metaphorical or associative) and keywords that alternate with synonyms throughout the text.

As you read, analyze what is important to the author, what points he emphasizes more.

After reading the work, try to quote from the text or formulate your own conclusion of the story.

Remember: to understand what the main idea of ​​the text is, the observance of the above evaluation criteria, as well as a combination of synthesis and analysis of both the entire text and its individual details, will help.