Concluding Sentences

A concluding sentence serves two purposes:

1. It signals the end of the paragraph.

2. It leaves the reader with the most important ideas to remember. It can do this in two
ways:

By in summarizing the main points of the paragraph

OR
By repeating the topic sentence in different words

A paragraph does not always need a concluding sentence. For single paragraphs
especially long ones, a concluding sentence is helpful to the reader because it is a
reminder of the important points. However, a concluding sentence is not needed for
every paragraph in a multiparagraph essay.
You may want to begin your concluding sentence with one of the signals below.

End-of Paragraph Signals Followed by a Comma

Finally,
Lastly,
In brief,
Therefore,
In conclusion,
Thus,
Indeed,
To sum up,
In short,

End-of-Paragraph Signals Not Followed by a Comma

The evidence suggests that...

There can be no doubt that...
These examples show that…
We can see that...
Examples:

Topic Sentence: At some point, most parents have to decide whether or not to allow
their children to have pets.
Concluding Sentence: In brief, although many children want a pet, parents are
divided on this issue for a number of important reasons.

Topic Sentence: eBook readers are excellent devices for students.

Concluding Sentence: It is clear that eBook readers have made students’ lives much
easier.

Concluding sentence that offers a suggestion, gives an opinion, or makes a

prediction

A concluding statement can offer a suggestion, give an opinion, or make a prediction.

Sometimes a concluding statement does a combination of these three options.

Example #1:
Underwater Adventure Snorkeling can be one of the most amazing adventures you
can ever take part in. Floating on the water and watching the fish swim below you is a
unique experience. It is normal to be nervous in the beginning, but once you are in
the water, the anxiety goes away as you slowly notice the new world around you.
Coral reefs are the best places to snorkel because hundreds, sometimes thousands,
of fish and other sea creatures live among the coral. Depending on where you
snorkel, you can see tiny squids, turtles, sea cucumbers, lobsters, and many other
animals. I saw a shark the last time I was snorkeling, and it really scared me. It is truly
a beautiful sight, one that you can hardly believe is happening. When you are
underwater, the world you know is blocked out, and the silence makes the overall
experience more magical. If you want to have one of the most beautiful experiences
that anyone can ever have, you should try snorkeling for a day.

In this paragraph we have:

Topic Sentence: Snorkeling can be one of the most amazing adventures you can ever
take part in.
Concluding Sentence: If you want to have one of the most beautiful experiences that
anyone can ever have, you should try snorkeling for a day.

Explanation: This topic sentence introduces snorkeling as an amazing adventure,

and the concluding sentence offers a suggestion that the reader should try
snorkeling.
Example #2:
Topic Sentence: Fortunately, my parents were very strict with me when I was a child.
Concluding Sentence: Looking back, I am not sorry that my parents were strict with
me because I think it was the best way to bring up a child.

Explanation: This topic sentence explains that the writer’s parents were very strict. In
the concluding sentence, the writer gives his opinion that being a strict parent is the
best way to raise a child.

Reading the paragraph

Strict Parents Fortunately, my parents were very strict with me when I was a child. I
think that they were protective because I was an only child. However, at that time, it
felt like I was in prison. I had to come straight home after school and immediately do
my homework. 1 After I finished my homework, I was allowed to watch only one hour
of television. While my friends were playing video games or watching cartoons, I was
usually doing chores around the house to help my mother. 2 This included doing
some of the laundry and ironing, mowing the lawn, and helping to prepare dinner. 3
My father was an architect, and my mother was a housewife. Looking back, I am not
sorry that my parents were strict with me because I think it was the best way to bring
up a child.

Example #3

My Evaluation of Dining at Fresh Market The menu at Fresh Market, one of the
newest restaurants in downtown Springfield, consists of only five main dishes that are
simple but very delicious. My number one dish there is pasta with fresh vegetables.
The pasta is cooked just right, and the vegetables include broccoli, onions, tomatoes,
and corn. My second favorite main dish is the spicy chicken and brown rice soup. The
chicken is a little hot for some people’s tastes, but many people really like the fact that
you get brown rice instead of the usual bland white rice. The other main dishes are
fried chicken with curry potatoes, Greek salad with grilled shrimp,and fried fish with
vinegar chips. All three of these use the freshest of ingredients and taste great. This
paragraph will not include any information about the beverages at this restaurant. If
you eat a meal at Fresh Market, I am sure you will enjoy it tremendously.

Topic sentence:
Concluding sentence:
Explanation:
Practicing

The models that follow demonstrate two ways of writing a concluding sentence. As
you read them, determine which concluding sentence summarizes the main points
and which concluding sentence repeats the topic sentence in different words.

Greeting Cards

Have you noticed how many different kinds of greeting cards you can buy these
days? In the old days, the local drugstore had one rack displaying maybe five or six
basic kinds of cards. You could walk into the store and choose an appropriate card in
five minutes or less. Nowadays, however, the display space for greeting cards is as
big as a soccer field, and it may take an hour or two to hunt down exactly the right
card with exactly the right message. There are at least 30 categories of birthday cards
alone: birthday cards for different ages, from different ages, for different relatives, from
different relatives, for different genders, from different genders, from a couple, from the
office, for dog owners, for cat owners, and so on. There are cards for getting a job, for
retiring from a job, for acquiring a pet, for losing a pet, for becoming engaged, for
breaking up. There are also greeting cards to send for no reason-"Thinking of you" or
"Just because" cards. The newest type of card is the "encouragement card." An
encouragement card offers comforting thoughts and helpful advice to someone who
is sad or distressed in these troubled times. In short, there is now a greeting card for
every possible life event and for a few non events as well.

A Hawaiian Legend

Native people create legends to explain unusual phenomena in their environment. A

legend from the Hawaiian island of Kauai explains how the naupaka flower, a flower
that grows on beaches there, got its unusual shape. The flower looks like half a small
daisy there are petals on one side only. The legend says that the marriage of two
young lovers on the island was opposed by both sets of parents. The parents found
the couple together on a beach one day, and to prevent them from being together, one
of the families moved to the mountains separating the young couple forever. As a
result, the naupaka flower separated into two halves; one half moved to the
mountains, and the other half stayed near the beach. This story is a good example of
a legend invented by native people to interpret the world around them.
 Writing a concluding sentence

Step 1: Underline the topic sentence in each paragraph.

Step 2: Add a good concluding sentence to each paragraph. You may either
paraphrase the topic sentence or summarize the main points.

Step 3: Practice using end-of-paragraph signals by starting each concluding

sentence with one.

Paragraph 1
You can be a good talker or speaker by being a good listener. When you are talking
with someone, pay close attention to the speaker's words while looking at his or her
face. Show your interest by smiling and nodding. Furthermore, do not interrupt while
someone is speaking; it is impolite to do so. If you have a good story, wait until the
speaker is finished. Also, watch your body language; it can affect your
communication whether you are the speaker or the listener. For instance, do not sit
slumped in a chair or make nervous hand and foot movements. Be relaxed do not
and bend your body slightly forward to show interest in the person and the
conversation.

Paragraph 2
Modern communication technology is driving workers in the corporate world crazy.
They feel buried under the large number of messages they receive daily. In addition
to telephone calls, office workers receive dozens of e-mail and voicemail messages
daily. In one company, in fact, managers receive an average of 100 messages a day.
Because they do not have enough time to respond to these messages during office
hours, it is common for them to do so in the evenings or on weekends at home.

Paragraph 3
A Great Tourist Destination New York and Boston attract millions of tourists, but I think
one of the best cities to visit on the east coast of the United States is Washington,
D.C. It has some of the most interesting landmarks and tourist spots in the country.
There are many monuments to visit, such as the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson
Memorial, and the Washington Monument, which is the tallest building in Washington.
For more excitement, the area called Georgetown in northwest Washington is famous
for its shopping and restaurants. Finally, there is the White House tour. On this tour,
the guide leads visitors as they walk through many of the rooms in the White House
and view the home of the president of the United States. Although Washington, D.C.,
does not have the large number of visitors that New York or Boston does, I think this
city is one of the best destinations for tourists.
Example #3
Topic Sentence: The menu at Fresh Market, one of the newest restaurants in downtown
Springfield, consists of only five main dishes that are simple but very delicious.
Concluding Sentence: If you eat a meal at Fresh Market, I am sure you will enjoy it
tremendously.
Explanation: This topic sentence informs us that the menu at Fresh Market has only five dishes
and they are very delicious. The concluding sentence makes a prediction that you will enjoy
this place very much if you eat there.