<aside> 💡 When writing a body paragraph (i.e., in academic writing), follow the MEAL or PEE plan when considering how to write a unified, coherent, and cohesive text.
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The M.E.A.L. Plan is an acronym used to help remember how to go about developing a complete body paragraph (not applicable for developing the introduction and conclusion paragraph).
Consider the following when developing your body paragraphs (aka MEAL Plan):
Main idea: The main idea of a paragraph is called the topic sentence. Like an arguable thesis statement, the topic sentence is a debatable claim that requires relevant support or evidence. The topic sentence should appear near the beginning of the paragraph since that sentence states the claim or idea to be discussed and developed in the content of the paragraph. This placement assures writers that the audience will not miss the significance of anything being presented and developed in the paragraph. For help with crafting topic sentences, writers should see Crafting a Topic Sentence for Each Paragraph.
Evidence: After the main idea (the topic sentence) is stated, relevant evidence must be provided to support the debatable claim made in the topic sentence. The primary tools of evidence in rhetorical construction are definitions, examples, and opposing views. These forms of evidence will typically be presented in the form of studies, reports, data, statistics, interviews, examples or illustrations. Evidence should be relevant and directly support the writer’s topic sentence and the thesis statement for the essay. The writer may choose to present source evidence through summary, paraphrase, or direct quotation, and the writer may also use modes of development such as description, definition, example, analogy, cause and effect, or comparison and contrast.
Analysis: Following the evidence, the writer must provide an analysis of the evidence that has been provided. Analysis is the writer’s evaluation, interpretation, judgment, or conclusion of how the evidence supports the paragraph’s main idea or topic. The writer should never expect the audience to interpret the evidence provided. In fact, as the leading voice in the paper, the writer is required to explain how the audience is meant to interpret the evidence in the context of the writer's argument. Such an explanation helps the audience to conclude that the topic sentence is a credible claim in the context of the evidence provided. Finally,
Link: The final sentence or sentences of the paragraph link the current paragraph’s main idea to the main idea in the next paragraph. This type of foreshadowing also prepares the audience for the next main idea. Since most body paragraphs are going to be followed by another body paragraph, the writer should consider using transitional phrases that help to link paragraphs. For example, transitional words such as however, so, thus, still, despite, nonetheless, although, but, even though or in spite of signal relationships between paragraphs and the relationship between the main ideas of all paragraphs.
WETRATS from Chris Hildrew
DEVELOPING PARAGRAPHS TUTORIAL
See Rhetorical Patterns section in Organization II.