What Are Supporting Details?
Supporting details are specific pieces of information in a piece of writing that support the main idea or the topic sentence. There are many different types of supporting details, and the type of writing being undertaken dictates the type of supporting details used.
Main Idea and Supporting Details
The main idea of a paragraph or essay is what the entire piece is about. The main idea can be directly expressed in the form of a topic sentence or thesis statement or it can be implied. The supporting details help to validate or expand on the main idea. Supporting details in an informational or persuasive essay often include facts and data. Supporting details in fiction essays generally expand on the main idea and serve to paint a clearer picture of what the essay is about.
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Where Do Supporting Details Usually Appear in an Essay?
Supporting details most often follow the topic sentence or thesis statement of the essay. The author will either directly or indirectly state the main idea and then follow it up with details that support the topic sentence or thesis statement. Once a topic statement is declared, the following sentences should serve to reinforce, validate or expand on the topic sentence or main idea.
Supporting Details Examples
Read the short paragraph below.
‘Cats make great pets for people who live in apartments.’ Cats don’t need to be walked, so their owners don’t have to worry about taking them through the building to go outside. Cats are much smaller than most dogs, which works well in a small space. Cats don’t bark and whine, so they make good pets for apartments where there are neighbors on all sides.
The topic sentence states that cats make great pets for people who live in apartments. The three sentences that follow the topic sentence are the supporting details. They serve to elaborate and back up the topic sentence. They give specific reasons ‘why’ cats are good for apartment living.
Read the next paragraph below.
‘The weather was not good for sailing today.’ The wind was whipping at thirty knots and the seas were dotted with white-caps. We could see the ocean swells around the jetty from the safety of the dock. In the distance, black storm clouds loomed on the horizon like an approaching army.
The previous paragraph is an example of fiction with a main idea and supporting details. The first sentence declares that the weather wasn’t good for sailing. The following sentences are the supporting details that help to clarify what the weather was like to give the reader a more vivid picture. If the author hadn’t included supporting details, it would have been left up to the reader to fill in their own details about the bad weather, which could have resulted in many different images depending on the reader. Supporting details in fiction help to paint a similar picture for all readers.
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Types of Supporting Details
There are several types of supporting details, depending on the author’s purpose and the type of writing. An author would generally use very different supporting details in a persuasive essay than they would in a work of fiction. The following are some of the most common types of supporting details found in different types of writing.
Facts and Evidence
Fact and evidence are generally used in informational essays. They are true statements that are used to provide reinforcement in the form of indisputable statements.
Main Idea: The United States has a significant number of people living in poverty.
Supporting detail: According to the U.S Census Bureau, 22% percent of Americans were living below the poverty level in 2020.
The fact from the Census Bureau helps to lend support to the main idea.
Reasons and Explanations
Reasons and explanations are used frequently in informational essays, but do not require facts. They can be opinions that help support an argument the author is making or give reasons for a persuasive essay.
Main idea: I should be allowed to have my own car when I get my driver’s license.
Supporting detail: I’ve driven well on my own and my excellent grades in school show that I’m responsible enough to have my own car.
The supporting details in this example are one of the teenager’s reasons why they should be allowed to have a car. They could be factual, like their performance in school, but it isn’t required. Reasons and explanations can be embellished or exaggerated to better enhance the main idea.
Definitions and Vocabulary
The use of definitions and vocabulary help to better clarify a main idea that might be complicated or confusing. In cases where the words in a main idea or topic sentence are potentially unknown, the author can use word definitions or alternate vocabulary words to help clarify.
Main idea: The stock market is falling fast because it’s in a bear market.
Supporting detail: A bear market is when investors are selling stocks because the prices are falling.
The supporting detail above defines what a bear market is. This definition helps to clarify the main idea by defining a key term.
Descriptions and Details
Descriptions and details are most often used to elaborate on main ideas in fiction and informational writing. Descriptions serve to explain or describe a topic in more detail.
Main idea: The neighbor’s dog always scared me.
Supporting detail: He was a giant, mangy dog with huge teeth and an unsettling growl.
The supporting detail helps to paint a clearer picture of the dog to help the reader understand why the author was scared.
Anecdotes and Examples
Anecdotes and examples help explain the main idea by presenting stories and situations that back up the topic. An anecdote is a funny or interesting story about a real event or person.
Main idea: John is a really kind person even though he is a tough basketball player.
Supporting detail: My friend met John and he signed her hat without her even asking.
The supporting detail above is an anecdote that helps to support the claim that John is a kind person.
Testimonials and Quotes
Testimonials and quotes are used primarily in persuasive essays. A testimonial is a formal statement that testifies to something’s quality or qualifications.
Main idea: These purple sneakers are the best basketball shoes you can buy.
Supporting detail: Basketball legend John says, ‘I’ve never played a game in any other shoe!’
The supporting detail above is a testimonial from a famous basketball player that helps to bolster the main idea of the quality of the shoe.
How to Identify Supporting Details
Supporting details must be directly relatable back to the main idea. If a sentence in a paragraph does not link to the main idea, then it cannot be considered a supporting detail of that particular main idea.
Major Supporting Details vs Minor Supporting Details
Major supporting details help to clarify the main idea of the essay. Minor supporting details help to clarify the major supporting details. Think of the main idea as the title, the major supporting details as headings and the minor supporting details as subheadings. Take a look at an expanded example from one of the previous examples.
Main idea: The United States has a significant number of people living in poverty.
Major supporting detail: According to the U.S Census Bureau, 22% percent of Americans were living below the poverty level in 2020.
Minor supporting detail: In 2020, any individual whose income was below $12,880 dollars a year was considered to be living in poverty.
The minor supporting detail does relate to the main idea, but it doesn’t directly support it. Without the major supporting detail, the information about the salary would not support the main idea. The salary information helps to elaborate on the major detail.
Lesson Summary
Supporting Details are sentences used in essays and paragraphs that help to support the main idea. Supporting details must directly relate back to the main idea and come in many different forms. Supporting details can include:
- Facts and evidence
- Reasons and explanations
- Definitions and vocabulary
- Descriptions and details
- Anecdotes and examples
- Testimonials and quotes
Supporting details always follow the main idea and can either be major, which directly support the main idea, or minor, which support the major details.