Paragraphing: The MEAL Plan Effective paragraphing is a central skill in academic writing. Many writers have been told a paragraph should contain a single idea; many have heard paragraphs have to be a minimum length—threesentences, for instance. In reality, e in different shapes and sizes, and some so-called “rules” may put writers in a straightjacket that unnecessarily hampers their ability to convey their ideas as needed in a particular piece of writing. Nevertheless, grasping the general form of a paragraph provides a good foundation. Once you have this basic building block at mand, you can vary from it by conscious choice when needed. One way to envision a body paragraph is as a “complete MEAL,” with ponents being the paragraph’sMain idea, Evidence, Analysis, and Link back to the larger claim. The Main Idea The main ideais the paragraph’s central thrust. In academic writing, that thrust is often argumentative—a paragraph makes an assertion that’s part of the writer’s larger claim. Often the main idea appears in the paragraph’s first sentence, where it is sometimes called the “topic sentence.” However, some paragraphs offer their main idea in the second, third, or last sentence; somedon’t have a single sentence that encapsulates the main idea. That said, your reader e away from each paragraph with a clear understanding of its main idea. He or she shouldn’t have
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