Conclusions

The Conclusion Paragraph The last paragraph in an essay that neatly wraps up the paper Contains 3 main parts Restate the thesis Lead-out Clincher

A Visual Think of the Conclusion as a triangle. Specific Restatement of Thesis Lead-out Clincher General

Conclusions Summary of thesis and essays major points (Only useful for longer essays) Evaluation of importance of essay’s subject Recommendation or call to action Warning based on essay’s thesis Quote from an authority Anecdote or brief example that emphasizes Image or description that lends finality to the essay Rhetorical question Prediction based on essay’s thesis Ironic twist, witticism, pun, or playful use of words Return to technique used in intro Conclusions

Restate the thesis Summarize the thesis without repeating yourself The most specific part of the conclusion Should include a transition to indicate that this is your concluding paragraph

The Lead-out Just like the lead-in only backwards Makes the topic larger to become more general and less specific Smoothes out the conclusion paragraph

The Clincher/ Call to Action/ So What? Last sentence of the last paragraph Give the paper finality Similar to an attention getter because it should make the reader think and leave an impression Most general part of the conclusion paragraph

Errors to Avoid in Conclusion Boring mechanical endings Introduction of new points Don’t tack on the conclusion – needs to be logical flow Don’t change your stance Avoid trite expressions (“As you can see, this essay proves my thesis . . . “) Don’t insult your reader