The Conclusion Paragraph

Prepared by Brittany Bingold for Perry High School

What does a conclusion paragraph do?

Conclusions are much like dessert…

▪ Although dessert tastes delicious at any time of the day, there’s a reason why we eat it after dinner: it’s the grand finale that leaves us with a good impression of the “meal” we just had.

▪ Your conclusion should also leave your reader feeling content, impressed, and possibly even inspired.

▪ Regardless of phenomenal body paragraphs, a boring or incomplete conclusion might defer the reader entirely.

Recipe for a good conclusion:

▪ Pie crust: Restate the thesis USING NEW WORDS (paraphrasing)

▪ Filling: Review the major points of the essay concisely and USING NEW WORDS

▪ Whipped cream: Connect back to your hook but put a spin on it, add wit.

▪ Garnish: A final statement that is either a call to action (argumentative), or a more subtle closing thought (informative)

Final Thoughts

▪ Think about portion control. You don’t want the reader to still feel hungry (too short) or stuffed to the point of feeling sick (too long).

▪ Stay consistent with the tone/style of the paper. Don’t suddenly shift into wording that is more or less formal than before.

Don’t introduce brand new facts. Rather, restate them or synthesize multiple facts to make big general statements.

Don’t let anything in your conclusion be random or off-topic.

Tie it up – link back to the intro!