Major & minor supporting details

When someone makes an argument in writing, some ideas will be more important than others. We often break a text into three levels of information.

Levels of information in a text - the pyramid

At the top level, we have the main idea – the author’s overall point. At the second level are major supporting details. These details provide crucial support for the main idea in the same way that columns provide support for a house. Finally, we have minor supporting details. A minor supporting detail can be a fact, an example, an anecdote, or a quote. It may provide evidence, show another perspective, or even just be interesting. Although it does relate to the major supporting detail, it’s so specific that it doesn’t need to be mentioned in the summary.

Levels of information in a text - the outline

Here’s another way of visualizing the relationship between the main idea, major supporting details, and minor supporting details. Looking at the outline below, you can see that there is only one main idea, but three major supporting details, and six minor supporting details. There are so many minor supporting details that there’s no way to fit them into your summary. You only have room for the major ideas.

1. Pizza is a perfect food.

1. The crunchy crust, hot tomato sauce, and melted cheese make it delicious.

1. Nearly every culture around the world has its own version of a flatbread, so this element of pizza is universally beloved.

2. Cheese tastes good because the bacteria used to make cheese break down the proteins and especially the fats into lots of flavorful molecules.

2. It is a highly convenient food that you can buy, make, and eat without needing much time, money, or even a fork or knife.

1. The median price for a large cheese pizza is as low as $7.25.

2. “The NYC instinct to grab a slice, fold it, and chomp away is partly based in necessity: everything's fast-paced here, and if you're buying a single slice at a $1 pizza joint, you're gonna want to take it on the run.”

3. You can customize it with whatever ingredients or toppings you want, so it can please anyone no matter their preferences or needs.

1. After analyzing pizza orders from thousands of restaurants in the United States and Canada, Foodler says the top 10 pizza toppings are pepperoni, mushrooms, and onions.

2. Pineapples and green onions are reportedly the most divisive pizza toppings, often leading customers to request half-and-half pizzas.

As you read an article, try to differentiate between the different levels of information. In a five-paragraph article, you may find that the main idea shows up in the first paragraph. Then, there might be one major supporting detail in paragraph 2, one in paragraph 3, and one in paragraph 4. The other sentences in each of these paragraphs would be considered minor supporting details.

If you are writing a summary, be sure to leave out the minor supporting details. Based on the outline I made of this article about pizza, my summary could look something like this:

In this article, the author argues that pizza is the perfect food. Pizza’s perfection lies in the fact that it is delicious, convenient, and endlessly customizable.