Repeated Words Give It Away

Use words that show up again and again as clues to the main idea.

When a word or idea shows up again and again, it is a big clue. Authors repeat what matters most. Read: 'Water is everywhere. Water fills the oceans. Rain is water falling from clouds. Our bodies need water every day.

' The word 'water' shows up in every sentence. So the topic is water, and the main idea is that water is all around us and important. You can also look for words that mean nearly the same thing, like 'rain' and 'water.

' Circle or point to the words you see most.

• 1Authors repeat what matters most.
• 2A repeated word points to the topic.
• 3Use the topic to build the main idea.