Lesson 10 — Activity 3: Concluding a Paragraph
Completion requirements
Lesson 10 — Activity 3: Concluding a Paragraph
The concluding sentence is important to the structure of the paragraph for several reasons:
- It reminds the reader of the main point or idea of the paragraph.
- It lets the reader know that you have said all you have to say about the main idea.
- It leaves the reader with something to think about.
The (sometimes) tricky part about writing an effective concluding sentence is that you don’t want to use the same sentence as you used for your topic sentence.
BUT you do want to make the same point as you made in your topic sentence.
Here are some suggestions that will be useful in developing effective conclusions:
BUT you do want to make the same point as you made in your topic sentence.
Here are some suggestions that will be useful in developing effective conclusions:
- Refer to your topic sentence and think of a way you can use different words to reinforce your main point.
- Avoid bringing up a new topic or idea in your concluding sentence. This will weaken your conclusion by confusing your reader.
- Think about what you wanted to accomplish with your paragraph and express your point in your final sentence:
- If you wrote an expository paragraph, what did you want your reader to learn?
- If you wrote a descriptive paragraph, what feeling or impression did you want your reader to have?
- If you wrote a persuasive paragraph, what position did you want your reader to take?
- If you wrote a narrative paragraph, what did you want your reader to think about?
Let's look at Brett's expository paragraph one more time:
Brett wanted his readers to understand how much hockey means to him.
His concluding sentence reinforces his point that he just loves the game of hockey!
Hockey has been my passion since I was five years old. I was first introduced to the sport curled up beside my father, watching Hockey Night in Canada. Later that winter, we went to the local arena to watch our town's team play in the championship game. I started playing hockey myself the next year and have been playing ever since. I am now in bantam and this year our team has played great. Hockey is a fantastic sport and I’m so glad I started playing.
Brett wanted his readers to understand how much hockey means to him.
His concluding sentence reinforces his point that he just loves the game of hockey!
Remember!
The conclusion is your last chance to share your idea with your reader, so use it to express your main idea one more time.
The conclusion is your last chance to share your idea with your reader, so use it to express your main idea one more time.