Too Broad, Too Narrow, or Just Right

A strong main idea statement covers the text without going beyond it.

When you write a main idea, it should fit the text like a well-sized jacket. Too broad means it covers far more than the text actually discusses. Too narrow means it covers only one detail. Just right covers all the important details and nothing more.

Consider a paragraph about how hummingbirds hover by beating their wings in a figure-eight pattern, how they can fly backward, and how they can even fly upside down for a moment. Too broad: 'Birds can fly. ' This could describe thousands of texts. Too narrow: 'Hummingbirds can fly backward. ' That's just one detail. Just right: 'Hummingbirds have unusual flying abilities.

' It covers hovering, flying backward, and upside-down flight, and it doesn't stray beyond them. Test your sentence by checking it against every detail.

• 1Too broad covers more than the text discusses.
• 2Too narrow covers only one detail.
• 3Just right covers all the key details and no more.