When writing an essay, there are a variety of things that should be taken into consideration and one of those things is the conclusion paragraph. In this article, we are going to be looking at what a conclusion paragraph is and how you can write a good one. We are also going to be looking at some examples of strong conclusion paragraphs as a way of gaining a further understanding of their function.
What Is A Conclusion Paragraph?
In essay terms, a conclusion paragraph is one which is used to sum up and bring to a conclusion, all of the ideas that have been discussed during the body of the essay. The conclusion paragraph can be used to demonstrate to the audience that the goal you set out to achieve has been accomplished. It can also show the reader that you have proven your thesis statement.
There are certain things that you should keep in mind when writing a conclusion paragraph. Let’s move on and take a look at these in some more detail.
How To Write A Conclusion Paragraph
Tips for Writing a Conclusion Paragraph
When writing your conclusion paragraph there are certain rules you should follow. For example, there are certain things that should be included in a conclusion paragraph. The idea is to sum up what has been talked about in the essay. You might follow these tips to help you along.
- Refer back to your introduction paragraph to guide you in writing your conclusion. For example, if in your introduction you stated ‘Australia is the best country for a holiday as there are so many things to do’, you might begin your conclusion with similar information such as ‘There are a lot of things to do in Australia and this is what makes it the best country for a holiday.’
- You should also recall information from each of your body paragraphs and summarise this in the conclusion. If you detailed three things to do in Australia this should be reflected in your conclusion, perhaps by using a sentence such as ‘The Great Barrier Reef, Ayers Rock and Bondi beach are all major attractions for anyone travelling to Australia.’
- It is also important to give the reader something to consider once they have finished the essay. You might write something along the lines of the following: ‘Have you ever thought about what you would like to see in Australia?’
- The conclusion paragraph should flow and bring the piece of writing to a close smoothly and concisely.
- You can think of the conclusion as being the polar opposite of the introduction, an introduction will begin general and move into being specific whereas the conclusion starts off with a specific point and goes into a more general ending.
- The closing sentence of your conclusion should give your readers a sense that the essay has achieved what it set out to accomplish and that they are glad they have read the essay or have come away with some additional knowledge.
- Your conclusion should refer back to the thesis statement which you included in your introduction, however, if you want to write a truly catchy essay, you should not repeat it word for word in your conclusion. A better way to refer back to it would be to reword it slightly.
- In order to bring the audience full circle, it is important to refer back to the themes that were mentioned in your introduction.
Things To Avoid In A Conclusion
There are certain things that should be avoided when writing a conclusion paragraph. Let’s take a look at these now.
- You should never bring up new information in the conclusion paragraph. This is a place for exclusively summing up the ideas that have been talked about. If a new idea comes to mind when writing the conclusion, you should create a body paragraph for this information.
- Data and statistics should not be included in the conclusion, these should be kept to the body.
- Never use the thesis statement for the first time during the conclusion paragraph.
- Do not write a conclusion that does not follow the tone or theme of the rest of the essay. It should tie in with what has already been said and how it has been said.
How To Start A Conclusion
There are specific terms which should be used when starting your conclusion paragraph. These transition words and phrases, known as conclusion transition words can help you to bring together all of your ideas and thoughts in one neat and concise sentence. Some of these phrases might be as follows:
- In summary
- To sum up
- In conclusion
- By and Large
- In short
- Finally
- In brief
- To summarise
- On the whole
- In the final analysis
Examples Of A Conclusion Paragraph
Now that we are aware of how to write a good conclusion paragraph, we are going to take a look at some examples as a way of gaining a further understanding of what should be included. The first example is taken from an argumentative essay.
To conclude, the writers had said that the vegetarian diet led to the less small all cause type of mortality, and a couple of declines in cause specific mortality. Coupled with the Eshel paper, the study should have proven that the vegetarian diet is a lot more safe for everyone.
The next example is one taken from an essay based on the subject of why Ross did not deserve Rachael on Friends.
Even though viewers had always expected that Ross and Rachael would reunite at the end of the Friends series, the fact is that Ross did not deserve her as a girlfriend. As we seen at the beginning of the series, he was unfaithful to her after they had been together for more than a year, and he did not wish to admit his wrongdoings once they attempted to get back together after breaking up the first time. On top of this, Ross was extremely demanding and jealous as a partner, shouting at Rachael in the presence of their friends on many occasions.
Finally, and most importantly, he had an awful reaction when she told him that she was pregnant after the wedding of Monica and Chandler, which made him undesirable as a partner for either her or any other character within the show. This conclusion is even more apparent when we view the show years after it ended, now that we have a better understanding of the rights of women and of domestic abuse in romantic relationships.
Conclusion
Your conclusion paragraph should include three main points: a reference back to the thesis statement, a summary of the information discussed and something to get the reader to think. There are certain ways you can write a conclusion paragraph and a variety of conclusion transition words that can help link your ideas to one another.
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