PEAS: Not Just Vegetables
The MEAL plan is kind of a big deal around the Writing
Center because it’s a catchy, easy acronym for remembering the essential parts
of a paragraph and a basic form of paragraph organization: Main idea, Evidence,
Analysis, Lead-in. You’ve likely heard us recommend the MEAL plan at
residencies, in our webinars, in our paper reviews, and on our website.
That lead-in part
of the acronym has always bugged me, though, and I know I’m not alone. The
trouble is that students, understandably, see the term lead-in (also sometimes called lead-out) and think they should use the last sentence of the paragraph to
transition to the next paragraph. However, the last sentence in a paragraph tends
to work better as a concluding sentence that summarizes the ideas in the
paragraph. In concluding the paragraph, the writer gives readers a chance to
digest those ideas, which helps prepare readers for—or lead readers into—the
ideas in the next paragraph. The transitional phrase or sentence that helps
move readers to the next point is more effective at the beginning of a paragraph
rather than at the end.
We’ve joked that MEAL sounds better than MEAC (Main point, Evidence,
Analysis, Conclusion) and that you want to have a full MEAL rather than a
dinner of only MEAT (Main point, Evidence, Analysis, Transition), but I still
find myself thinking of new ways to discuss paragraph organization without the confusing
term lead-in. I was at the local
farmer’s market the other day when inspiration struck: PEAS.
The
PEAS plan, like the MEAL plan, begins with the point that you’re making in that
paragraph, supported by evidence and analysis. The PEAS plan replaces the term lead-in
with the term summary, referring to a
sentence that wraps up the ideas in the paragraph and ties back to the main
point, reminding readers why the paragraph is important to the overall
argument.
You may have heard the phrase “two peas in a pod,” but pods
usually contain multiple peas. Similarly, in your paragraph, you will need more
than one piece of evidence and one sentence of analysis, and the evidence and
analysis sentences will be mixed and combined within your paragraph.
The image of several peas nestled inside a pod can help you
remember that the order of the evidence and analysis is less rigid than the
MEAL plan suggests. Not every paragraph should contain all of the evidence
followed by all of the analysis. You might have some paragraphs constructed
that way, but some paragraphs will use evidence and analysis followed by more
evidence and analysis, and some will combine evidence and analysis within
sentences. The evidence and analysis can sometimes be hard to distinguish from each
other (that’s one reason why citations are important), but they are both vital
to a strong paragraph.
Another component of a strong paragraph is unity. To push the
PEAS acronym a bit further, think about how all of the peas (the multiple
pieces of evidence and analysis) are nestled within the top of the pod (point
of paragraph) and the bottom of the pod (summary). What this image means for academic
writing is that the evidence and analysis in your paragraph should fall under
the main point of your paragraph. When all of your evidence and analysis
clearly connects to your main point, you have what’s called paragraph unity, which
helps to focus your argument.
The MEAL plan remains a useful blueprint for paragraph
organization, but if you have trouble remembering or understanding the MEAL
plan, try following the PEAS plan.
Do you have a suggestion for another paragraph organization
acronym? Share it in the comments!
A former teacher of college composition courses, Anne Shiell is a self-described punctuation geek. She recently moved to Indianapolis.
A former teacher of college composition courses, Anne Shiell is a self-described punctuation geek. She recently moved to Indianapolis.
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Anne, while I love the MEAL plan you make a great argument for the PEAS plan. What I really like is the graphic of peas with varying order of E's and A's. That really helps show where the "personality" of the paragraph will come out. I think some students think these paragraph acronyms are forcing their writing to sound like a robot. However, I argue that when we read paragraphs organized this way, we simply understand it better. We're not thinking...oh, there's the evidence, there's the analysis; instead the focus is on the smooth transition of the ideas within the paragraph. The scattered E and A peas in your graphic I think show this well. Thanks! ~Dr. Darci Harland
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