Implied Main Ideas: Adding Up the Clues

When no sentence states the main idea, readers infer it from the details.

Sometimes no single sentence states the main idea. It's implied, so you have to figure it out by adding up the details, like solving a puzzle. Ask: 'What do all of these details have in common? What point are they making together? ' Then write the main idea in your own words. Read: 'The library added a 3D printer last spring. It now offers free coding classes on Saturdays.

Teens can record podcasts in a new sound booth. Kids can borrow robot kits the same way they borrow books. ' No sentence sums it up. But every detail is about new technology at the library. So the implied main idea is: 'The library now offers many new technology tools and programs. ' Check your sentence: it should cover every detail, not just one or two.

• 1An implied main idea isn't stated in one sentence.
• 2Ask what all the details have in common.
• 3Write it in your own words and check it covers every detail.