Tactics
- Use T, E, C, and L for topic, example, contrast, and limit.
- Mark contrast words before rereading the paragraph.
- Carry stable initials across an email thread.
- Test whole-plan referents when a single noun feels too narrow.
Pitfalls
- Treating a vivid example as the paragraph's full claim.
- Assuming contrast cancels everything before it.
- Selecting the nearest noun without checking meaning.
Read paragraph architecture
Actions
- Underline the sentence that controls the paragraph.
- Label later sentences as example, reason, contrast, or limit.
- Write one structure line before answering a main-idea question.
Example
Lesson
The limitation does not erase the benefit; it controls how broadly the result may be used.
Context
A writer praises a public pilot's convenience, then says its narrow geographic reach limits the evidence.