The main heading is used in pieces of writing, usually non-fiction. It represents the main concept of the text. Sometimes, it may be called a ‘heading,’ but ‘heading’ also encompasses other headings that differ from the main heading.
What is the purpose of the main heading?
A main heading’s purpose is to tell the reader what the text will be about. It’s similar to a title and summarises what it is. It helps the reader to prepare for what they’re going to read and decide whether they want to read it.
Main headings are helpful when you’re skim-reading a text to find specific information. You can save a lot of time by reading the main heading to see whether the text includes the information you’re looking for!
How do you write the main heading?
The main heading should communicate what the text is about. However, there are three kinds of the main heading that can be used:
- Question headings – This type of heading poses a question. It will ask something the main text attempts to answer to at least discuss the possibilities.
- Statement headings – A statement heading includes a subject and a verb, expressing a complete thought. The text following will usually explore the statement in more detail, choosing to agree or disagree with the original statement.
- Topic headings – These headings consist of a short phrase or even just a single word. Topic headings often have alliteration or wordplay to invite the reader in.
Main heading examples
To answer the question, ‘what is the main heading?’, it’s helpful to look at some examples too.
Question heading examples
- What lives on the ocean floor? – A report about the creatures living at the bottom of the ocean.
- What is the main heading? – An informative guide about the main heading (sound familiar?).
- What is the message of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein? – A literature essay explores the message of a novel.
Statement heading examples
- Cats are the Best Pets – A persuasive piece arguing that cats are the best pets.
- It would be best if you Ate Porridge for Breakfast – A piece exploring why porridge is good to eat at breakfast.
- Macbeth is Shakespeare’s Best Work – An opinion piece that explores why the author thinks Macbeth is the best Shakespeare play.
Topic heading examples
- Brilliant Books for Summer – Writing that recommends books to read in the summer.
- Desert Plants – An informative text about plants that live in the desert.
- Amazing Antarctica – An informative text about the land of Antarctica.
As you can see, there are many different ways to write the main heading. The type of the main heading will depend on the text it’s used for.
To write a good main heading, you have to think about the purpose of the text and who its readers are.
Informative guides aim to educate and inform the reader, so question headings might be more appropriate because they answer specific questions. However, you could also use a topic heading that states what the guide is about.
Personal non-fiction writing, such as travel or opinion pieces, lend more toward statement headings. These give the writer room to explore the statement, arguing for or against it, using lots of persuasive writing techniques.
What’s the difference between the main heading and a sub-heading?
After the main heading, sub-headings are used to divide further and categorize the text. Subheadings tend to go into more detail than main headings, mentioning specific areas within the overall topic that the text is about.
Here’s an example of the main heading used with subheadings.
What lives on the ocean floor?
- The Very Scary Vampire Squid
- The Humungous Japanese Spider Crab
- The Fearsome Frilled Shark
- The Spooky Japanese Skeleton Shrimp
- The Adorable Dumbo Octopus
The main heading tells the reader the overall topic, while the sub-headings dive into the specifics. Each sub-heading would then be followed by paragraphs of text discussing what the sub-heading suggests.
