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2.7: Concluding Sentence(s)

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    Concluding Sentence(s)

    words "THE END" on wooden pieces
    words “THE END” on wooden pieces

    A concluding sentence signals the end of a paragraph.

    Typically, the last sentence in a paragraph is the concluding sentence, and its job is to help the reader feel that the writer has expressed a complete and finished idea. It closes the paragraph by helping the reader move from the small details of the supporting sentences back to the big picture of the topic sentence or controlling idea. There are many simple and creative ways to end a paragraph.

    The concluding sentence can:

    • restate the main idea from the topic sentence but in different words or sentence structure
    • summarize the main points from the supporting sentences
    • give advice or make a suggestion about the topic to the reader
    • make a prediction or offer hope for the future
    • give the writer’s feelings or opinion about the topic

    A conclusion must not bring up a new topic.

    × For those three reasons, I enjoy swimming the most. I will also start playing basketball next week.

    Ways of Writing Concluding Sentences
    Topic sentence Different ways to write a concluding sentence or concluding sentences
    Swimming is my favorite hobby.

    Restate the main idea:

    • For those three reasons, I enjoy swimming the most.

    Restate the main idea + summarize the supporting points in the body:

    • For the benefits of physical health, mental wellbeing, and social life, I enjoy swimming the most.

    Restate the main idea + express an opinion

    • For those three reasons, I enjoy swimming the most. It is the activity that has kept me healthy in the last ten years.

    Restate the main idea + make a prediction:

    • For those three reasons, I enjoy swimming the most. If everyone can do this activity regularly, this will be a very healthy country.

    Restate the main idea + put forth a recommendation

    • For those three reasons, I enjoy swimming the most and recommend this healthy activity to everyone.

    Restate the main idea + ask a question

    • For those three reasons, I enjoy swimming the most. Shouldn’t everyone start this hobby, too?
     
    Exercise 13

    Compare the pairs of topic sentences and concluding sentences from the paragraphs you are studying in this unit. Then discuss in groups what method the concluding sentences use and how they relate to the topic sentences.

    Example

    Paragraph “Missing My Childhood Days”

    Topic sentence: Thanks to two people and one place, my childhood was filled with fun.

    Concluding sentences: Nowadays I do not have Hector and Lisandra in my life, and my childhood house has long been sold. However, I am grateful for having them all in my past because they have left me with priceless memories.

    The conclusion restates the main idea (they have left me with priceless memories), summarizes the three supporting points in the body (I do not have Hector and Lisandra in my life, and my childhood house has long been sold), and expresses an opinion (I am grateful for having them all in my past). The conclusion relates to the topic sentence and explains the controlling idea very well.

    1. Paragraph “Good Roommates” in 2.6
    2. Paragraph “No Capital Punishment” in 2.6
    3. Paragraph “Applying for the John & Melanie Frieburg ESL Student Scholarship” in 2.8 (paragraph 2)
    Exercise 14

    Look back at the two paragraphs in Exercise 4. Does each paragraph have a concluding sentence?

    Paragraph A yes / no

    Paragraph B yes / no

    Exercise 15

    Look again at the concluding sentence in the paragraph in Exercise 3.

    “With careful consideration, buying a house can be one of the best investments a person can make in their future.”

    This concluding sentence…(check ✓ all that apply)

    ❐ … gives advice or a suggestion

    ❐ … makes a prediction or offer hope

    ❐ … gives the writer’s feelings or opinion

    ❐ … restates the main idea

    ❐ … summarizes the main points

    Exercise 16

    Choose the best concluding sentence for each paragraph.

    It is not always the influence of other people or the media that results in a person getting a tattoo. Many people decide to wear tattoos in order to express their artistic nature, their beliefs, or their feelings; in other words, they get a tattoo to show and express their individuality. A musician in a rock band may get a tattoo of a guitar on the arm. Some environmentalists may tattoo pictures of endangered animals on their shoulders. Lovers may tattoo each other's names over their hearts. _______________________________.

    A. A person’s friends and the media will affect their decision to get a tattoo.

    B. The unfortunate fact about tattoos is that they are impossible to remove.

    C. A tattoo can be a public sign to show what is important in a person's life.

     

    The human brain is very mysterious and only partially understood. Many questions about the brain have not yet been answered. For example, why do we need to sleep or why do we dream? There is a lot about the brain that we do not yet understand. In fact, people used to think of the brain as useless stuffing. Of course, scientists now know the brain is our control center. Scientists also know about the basic functions of the different parts of the brain. The surface of the brain is called the cerebral cortex. It is the part of the brain that makes us intelligent, and it consists of four parts called lobes. The front lobe is where much of our thinking and feeling happens. The top lobe processes information which is coming from parts of our bodies, such as our skin and muscles. The side lobe plays an important role in hearing, speech and long-term memories while the back lobe processes images from our eyes. _______________________________________________________________.

    a) Restate the main idea from the topic sentence.
    _____________________________________________________________________
    _____________________________________________________________________

    b) Make a prediction about the brain.
    ____________________________________________________________________
    _____________________________________________________________________

    Photo Attribution: 

    • words “THE END” on wooden pieces © Photo by Ann H from Pexels

    This page titled 2.7: Concluding Sentence(s) is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Connie Mathews, Elizabeth Stein, and Mary Elizabeth Wilson-Patton.