Crafting Effective Closing Paragraphs in Essays
Explore techniques for writing compelling closing paragraphs in essays, emphasizing the importance of summarization, thought-provoking questions, and engaging the reader's curiosity. Learn how to structure your conclusion to leave a lasting impact on your audience.
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Resource Tagging Template 1. Your name Linda Farris 2. Your campus Arkansas State University - Beebe 3. Resource title and short description Powerpoint for Closing Paragraph 4. Type of resource (i.e. course, curriculum, syllabus, website, presentation, brochure, newsletter, etc.) curriculum 5. Program Area (Dev Ed, ABE, ESL, GED, Certificate Program, etc) Dev Ed 6. Audience (Student, Instructor, Administrator, Counselor, etc) Student 7. Industry Sector 8. Curriculum Area (Literacy, Math, Health, Engineering, Science, Business, etc) 9. Name and email of the resource developer Linda Beth Farris lbfarris@asub.edu 10. Narrative information you would like to share (resource background, purpose, notes, suggested uses and/or other information from the development team)
WRITING A CLOSING PARAGRAPH FOR AN ESSAY PreCollege Literacy Excerpt from: College Writing Skills with Reading by.:John Langan and Points also from: Evergreen by: Susan Fawcet and webhome.broward.edu/~dshaw/handouts/The%20Cl osing%20Paragraph.html
CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH A concluding paragraph is your chance to remind the reader of your thesis idea and bring the paper to a natural and graceful end.
COMMON METHODS OF CONCLUSION-1 End with a summary and final thought. When army instructors train new recruits, each of their lessons follows a three-sept formula: Tell them what you re going to tell them. Tell them Tell them what you ve told them. An essay that ends with a summary is not very different. Online shopping at home, then, has several advantages. Such shopping is convenient, saves you money, and saves you time. It is not surprising that growing numbers of people are doing the majority of their shopping on the Internet, for everything from turnip seeds to televisions. Note that the summary is accompanied by a final comment that rounds off the paper and brings the discussion to a close.
COMMON METHODS OF CONCLUSION-2 Include a thought-provoking question or short series of questions. A question grabs the reader s attention. It is a direct appeal to your reader to think further about what you have written and should deal with one of these areas: Why the subject of your paper is important What might happen in the future What should be done about this subject Which choice should be made You may provide an answer in your conclusion. Common Methods of Conclusion-1 What, then will happen when most of the population will be over sixty years old? Retirement policies could change dramatically, with the age- sixty-five testimonial dinner and gold watch postponed for five or ten years. Even television would change as the Red Bull generation replaces the Pepsi generation. Glamorous gray-haired models would sell everything from toilet paper to televisions. New soap operas and situation comedies would reveal the secrets of the sunset years. It will be a different world indeed when the young find themselves outnumbered.
COMMON METHODS OF CONCLUSION-3 End with a prediction or recommendation. These will also involve your readers. A prediction states what may happen in the future. If people stopped to think before acquiring pets, there would be fewer instances of cruelty to animals. Many times it is the people who adopt pets without considering the expense and responsibility involved who mistreat and neglect their animals. Pets are living creatures. They do not deserve to be treated as carelessly as one would treat a stuffed toy. A recommendation suggests what should be done about a situation or problem. Stereotypes such as the ditzy blonde, harried executive, and annoying in-laws are insulting enough to begin with. In magazine ads or television commercials, they become even more insulting. Now these unfortunate characters are not just being laughed at; they are being turned into hucksters to sell products to an unsuspecting public. Consumers should boycott companies whose advertising continues to use such stereotypes.
NOTE HOW THIS PARAGRAPH ENDS: S SUMMARY OR FINAL THOUGHT, P/R PREDICTION OR RECOMMENDATION, Q - QUESTION Disappointments are unwelcome, but regular, visitors in everyone s life. We can feel depressed about them, or we can try to escape from them. The best thing, though, is to accept a disappointment and then try to use it somehow: step over the unwelcome visitor and then get on with life.
NOTE HOW THIS PARAGRAPH ENDS: S SUMMARY OR FINAL THOUGHT, P/R PREDICTION OR RECOMMENDATION, Q - QUESTION Holidays, it is clear, are often not the fulfilling experience they are supposed to be. They can, in fact, be very stressful. But would we rather have a holiday-free calendar?
NOTE HOW THIS PARAGRAPH ENDS: S SUMMARY OR FINAL THOUGHT, P/R PREDICTION OR RECOMMENDATION, Q - QUESTION Some people dream of staring roles, their names in lights, and their pictures on the cover of People Magazine. I m not one of them, though. A famous person gives up private life, fells pressured all the time, and is never completely safe. So let someone else have that cover story, I d rather lead and ordinary, but calm, life than a stress-filled one.
ONE OTHER IDEA: END WITH A CALL TO ACTION (FAWCETT) SIMILAR TO A RECOMMENDATION The Call to action says that in view of the facts and ideas presented in this essay, the reader should do something. Single-gender schools work. As we have seen, boys-only and girls-only middle and high schools help steer young people toward academic achievement and higher self-esteem. Showing off for the opposite sex, dating too early , and, especially in the case of girls, failing to raise their hands for fear of outshining the boys, are problems avoided altogether in a single-gender environments. Parents demand the option of single-gender schools. We owe it to our children to fight for the schools that truly serve them.
CLOSING PARAGRAPH The job of the closing paragraph is to re- state the thesis and give a closing thought and/or a specific example or fact. The closing paragraph comes just before your teacher slaps a grade on your paper, so you want to have a strong ending. What to put in the closing paragraph : It must restate the thesis in different words without changing the meaning. It must give a sense of completion, not just stop. It may point out the significance or implications of your thesis. It may offer a final specific fact, detail, example, statistic, quotation, or contrast.
BAD EXAMPLE OF RE-STATING THE THESIS AND THEIR REVISIONS : Thesis A: Unfortunately all this preparation could not prevent a disappointing trip. Restatement: In conclusion, our trip turned out to be a complete disaster. Comment: Do not overstate your thesis. The trip could not have been a complete disaster unless it ended in tragedy. Revision: We probably learned some valuable lessons about planning a trip, but that did not lift our sour mood on our long drive home.
BAD EXAMPLE OF RE-STATING THE THESIS AND THEIR REVISIONS : Thesis B: Smoking is an unwise choice. Restatement: For all of these reasons, smoking should be outlawed. Comment: What is wrong with this? Revision: If you don t smoke, don t start. And if you smoke, quit.
BAD EXAMPLE OF RE-STATING THE THESIS AND THEIR REVISIONS : Thesis C: Getting a college degree is expensive. Restatement: Getting a college degree is not worth it. Comment: What is the problem here? Revision: Now that you see how expensive college is, you might well wonder if it is worth it.
WHAT NOT TO PUT IN THE CLOSING PARAGRAPH : It does not need a topic sentence. It should not list the topic sentences word for word. It should not tell about specific details or examples that you discussed in the paragraphs of development. Beware of hedging or changing your mind.
