Chapter 4 How to Write a Concluding Paragraph

The concluding paragraph is the last paragraph of an essay and it is shorter than the other paragraphs.
It generally has 4 to 6 sentences.
It is of utmost importance that NEW IDEAS SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN IN THIS PARAGRAPH. IT IS ONLY
TO CLOSE OUR ESSAY. SO, JUST SUMMARIZE WHAT BODY PARAGRAPHS SAY.

PARAPHRASED THESIS
(Message of the thesis statement is repeated
with different wording.)
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF BODY PARAGRAPHS' CONTENT

FINAL THOUGHT (The writers opinion/ suggestion/ prediction/ warning about the topic)

Examples:

1. Essay Prompt: What are the advantages of being famous?

Introduction Paragraph

People have many wishes in their lives, and they try hard to reach these wishes. Nowadays, it seems
that fame is very desirable for many people. Fame seems to appeal everyone due to its attraction and
glamour. For this reason, a lot of people wish to be famous even for a day in their lives. Although fame
comes with some difficulties, these people focus more on the advantages of being famous. Earning a
lot of money and being the center of attention are the two advantages of being famous.

Concluding Paragraph

In brief, the most significant benefits of being famous are having a good financial condition and
getting a lot of attention. In my opinion, it is normal for people to enjoy being famous as everybody
likes living in luxury and being the dear of fans, but the most important question is whether it is worth
it or not.
2. Essay Prompt: What are the effects of eating junk food?

Introduction Paragraph

It is a fact that people must consume food to survive. Depending on a variety of factors such as the
region where people live or the age group which people are in, food choices of people can be different
from one another. However, there is one type of food which everybody likes: junk food. Despite being
the favorite of many people, eating junk food has two negative effects on people:
obesity and early aging.

Concluding Paragraph

To conclude, the two negative effects of consuming junk food on people are obesity and early aging.
I firmly believe that people must be aware of the dangers which might result in eating junk food and
they must find ways to keep young generations away from it.

How to Write a Good Concluding Paragraph

Using Synonyms or Antonyms

Let’s analyze a sample concluding paragraph. You can use synonyms or antonyms to restate a thesis
statement.

Example 1:

Essay Prompt: Why do young people join gangs?

Thesis Statement:

The two reasons why young people join gangs are psychological comfort and violence.

Concluding Paragraph:

In conclusion, because of mental relief and brutality young people are pushed towards gangs.

signal word restatement of thesis statement

Most cities have gangs which are made up of young people, teenagers, even children. They don’t
make these choices most of the time. I believe that it is the environment that encourages, and even

signal word expressing final thought

forces them to be part of gangs. It is our society and government’s responsibility to lead them to
better options and a better future.

(Word count:72)

Please pay attention to the use of synonyms in the example above. The writer uses the words
mental relief for psychological comfort and brutality instead of violence. The writer uses the
structure I believe to present his final thought
Example 2:

Essay Prompt:

What are the disadvantages of working for the same company during your entire career?

Thesis Statement: The two main disadvantages of working for the same company all your life are
lack of enthusiasm and not improving your skills.

Concluding Paragraph:

To conclude, although you can have some benefits when you work at the same place for a long

signal word restatement of thesis statement

time, you have to think of the disadvantages such as demotivation and lack of improvement in your
skills. Nowadays, working for the same company for more than ten years is not even considered
positive in many areas of work. To my way of thinking, people should make a new start in their
signal word expressing final thought
careers if they feel they are in a monotonous working environment.

Once again, please focus on the use of synonyms in the example above. The writer uses the
words demotivation for lack of enthusiasm and unimproved skills instead of not improving
skills. The writer uses the structure To my way of thinking to present his final thought.

Changing Word Forms

You can also change word forms to restate the thesis statement.

Essay Prompt: Why do you think teenagers use violence against one another?

Thesis Statement: The two significant reasons why teenagers use violence against one another are
witnessing violence and easy access to drugs and alcohol.

Concluding Paragraph:

In conclusion, since young people witness violence and have an easy access to drugs and alcohol,

signal word restatement of thesis statement

they become violent. Therefore, governments should urgently take action to resolve this issue.

I think that it is necessary to raise teenagers’ awareness because violence does not resolve any

signal word expressing final thought

conflict but only complicates things further.

Please focus on the use of word forms in the example above. The writer uses the words witness
(v) for witnessing (n) and access (v) instead of access (n). The writer uses the structure I think to
present his final thought.
EXERCISE 1: Restate the thesis statements below with different wording for concluding paragraphs.

1. A good manager should respect his employees and be open to new ideas.

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2. The two main causes of traffic in Istanbul are that there are too many cars and not enough roads.

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3. What affects children’s success at school is staying up late and lack of concentration.

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4. The two main reasons why people smoke a lot are depression and financial problems.

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5. The two major drawbacks of living in a town are insufficient job opportunities and bad health service.

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EXERCISE 2: Read the concluding sentences below and write final thoughts for them.

You can start with the following transition signals:

In my opinion, It seems to me that, It is my firm belief that,

To my mind, I think that, To my way of thinking,

1. In conclusion, a good manager should respect his employers and be open to new ideas.

__________________________________________________________________________________

2. Taking everything into consideration, the two main causes of traffic in Istanbul are that there are
too many cars but not enough roads.

__________________________________________________________________________________

3. All things considered, what affects children’s success at school are staying up late and lack of
concentration.

__________________________________________________________________________________

4. To sum up, the two main reasons why people smoke a lot are depression and financial problems.

__________________________________________________________________________________

5. All in all, the two major drawbacks of living in a town are insufficient job opportunities and bad
health service.

__________________________________________________________________________________
EXERCISE 3: Analyze the sample introductions below and write concluding paragraphs for them.

Traffic Accidents

Did you know that more than one million people died last year in traffic
accidents? Eighty per cent of road traffic deaths occurred in middle-income
countries. Most of these countries are located in the African region. In Europe,
the number of accidents drops significantly. In Germany and Greece about 3000
people died but in Turkey the number is 7500. Why are there so many fatal
accidents in Turkey? The two major causes of traffic accidents in our country
are being drunk and ignoring traffic rules.
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Fast Food
Do you find time to cook, or is ordering fast food more convenient for you? Most
people argue that fast food has many benefits. They support that it is time saving
and delicious. However, fast food such as hamburgers and French fries can’t be
beneficial for our bodies and we should avoid them. The two major harms of fast
food are putting on weight and losing appetite.

__________________________________________________________________________________
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EXERCISE 4: Analyze the sample essay below and discuss the strong and weak points of it with
your partner.

Finding the Best University

It is a common knowledge that education plays an important role in people’s lives. Since their childhood
everybody has been looking for the best schools and the teachers to receive a good education. The
pinnacle of education is to have a university degree. However, not every university may meet people’s
expectations. In order to state that they are a graduate of a good university, there should be some
requirements to be met. A good university should have qualified teachers and social facilities for students.

First of all, a good university must have qualified teachers for each course. To begin with, qualified
teachers should have effective teaching skills in their subjects. Without these skills, it will be difficult for
the teacher to transfer his/her knowledge to the students, and it will be challenging for the students as
well to receive the information or to enjoy the lessons. If students lose their interests towards the lesson,
they may have attendance problems, which may cause failure. Moreover, the teacher should have a
personality that matches with being a good teacher, which means that a teacher should be kind,
supportive and understanding to his/her students. Otherwise, communication and trust issues can occur.
This affects students’ success in their educational lives. Therefore, qualified teachers are one of the most
important parts of a good university.

Another quality of a good university is having social facilities for students. Firstly, there must be enough
sports centers and cafes for students to spend their free time with their friends. Since students spend
most of their time studying at school, they need a place to rest and chat with their friends at the cafes in
the campus. Students sometimes need to get over their stress by spending time in a sports center. If there
is a good sports center in the campus, students can play basketball, do yoga, run, and all of this can reduce
their stress. Secondly, student clubs are the best way of socializing and making new friends. In such clubs,
students will have a chance to meet other students from different departments and they will also learn
from each other. To illustrate, they can exchange information and broaden their horizons in terms of both
academic and social aspects. Thus, besides qualified teachers, a good university should provide social
opportunities to its students.

In conclusion, universities should support the learning process with qualified teachers and many social
facilities, as they are places where students spend the most important stage of their lives. Students should
become familiar with all these characteristics so that they can choose a good university, which will affect
their future.
(word count: 436 words)

Your comments:
EXERCISE 5: You can now write a full essay.

Essay Prompt: What are the benefits of eating at home?