A strong conclusion is central to eloquent and persuasive writing, no matter the genre. Be it an interview, a novel, or a school-specific supplement about yourself – the last lines stick with the reader. Thus, the success of your communication depends mainly on your ability to draw the line under the nuanced utterance and present it in a nutshell. That’s it. There is no big secret about how to write a conclusion sentence for an essay, speech, or opinion piece for a news outlet.
However, finishing your writing gracefully is a skill that you should exercise. In this post, we will share some techniques to help you identify the crux of your essay and lay it out concisely in a powerful conclusion.
How to Write a Conclusion for an Argumentative Essay
An argumentative essay is one of the first genres you are acquainted with in the school English course. Therefore, it’s a good place to start our demonstration of how to write a conclusion to an essay.
The primary function of a concluding paragraph is to reaffirm your position in the argument by echoing back to your thesis statement. However, merely rewriting your thesis from the introduction isn’t enough. To conclude on a strong note, revisit all your key arguments, mention the refuted claims of the opposing side, and lead to the restatement of your position as clearly the only logical inference that can be drawn from facts by a rational mind. For example:
“Patriarchy is not a “natural order.” It is a construct that has outlived its usefulness in a modernized society, even though its remnants linger embedded in many cultures. Feminism, in its opposition to patriarchy, is not about turning the ages-old system where one dominant gender rules over the oppressed one on its head. It takes oppression out of the equation. It is about the equality of human beings and, as such, helps men as well as women to be harmonious and self-sufficient selves. For a happier, sustainable future of humanity, we should all be feminists.”
The concluding paragraph from the example above goes over the key arguments in reverse order. The outline of the essay looks like this:
- Introduction and a thesis statement: we should all be feminists.
- Argument #1: feminism is for equality and benefits all genders.
- Argument #2: feminism is necessary for societal progress.
- Rebuttal of popular counter-argument #1: feminism is not a “reversed patriarchy” and doesn’t threaten the freedoms of men.
- Rebuttal #2: patriarchy no longer serves the progress of human society but holds it back instead.
- Conclusion
The structure of the conclusion mirrors this outline: it reassembles the entire argument and leads back to the thesis as the top of the pyramid. Of course, to be able to write a conclusion elegantly, you must first build a solid and logical argument. Then, writing a conclusion will be only a technicality.
How to Write a Conclusion for an Informative Essay
Now to the next popular format. Informative writing is probably the most widespread in academic environments: course books, encyclopedias, and wiki articles serve as illustrative examples. Informative essays, meanwhile, usually help to verify students’ knowledge of the study material covered in the course. Therefore, an informative essay should give a comprehensive digest of the important facts about its subject.
The role of the concluding paragraph is to summarize and contextualize the material you present in the body of the informative essay. I must stress that no new data should be given in the conclusion! You should recap all the key points and produce a succinct interpretation. Overall, writing an informative essay conclusion is very straightforward:
- Condense each paragraph of your essay into one statement that expresses its main idea.
- Organize them logically and unite them into cohesive sentences – you have a summary.
- Now add your interpretation. Think about why this information is valuable and how it benefits your readers. The conclusion should provide an answer to “Why did I read that?”
- To make your essay more engaging, you may end it with a call to action. Urge your readers to act on the information received from your paper or to seek more knowledge on the subject.
- Another way to make your conclusion more memorable is to sign off with a quote or a joke. This will lighten up the mood traditionally dampened by information overload.
A concise conclusion gives your paper a finished, satisfying feel and helps your reader make sense of the ideas and facts you laid out. Without it, an informative essay is just an info dump.
How to Write a Conclusion for an Analysis Essay
In an analytical essay, you should present an argument or opinion about the piece you are analyzing. It’s very similar to an argumentative essay – only all the evidence to back up your claim comes directly from the subject you dissect and study.
That is why the best way to conclude an analysis essay is similar to an argumentative one. Restate your thesis statement bolstering it with the evidence you have uncovered and building up to it. Here is how you can go about it:
- Since an analytical essay deconstructs the subject and examines its constituent elements closely, your conclusion should gather the pieces together again for a holistic view. Integrate the main points of all paragraphs into a concise summary of your analysis.
- Present your thesis again as a proven fact that follows naturally from the summary of your main points.
- Put your analysis in a broader context. Demonstrate the significance of your findings for the academic field. Highlight the relevance of the study for your peers. Show the importance of the new perspective you have introduced with your analysis.
Analytical pieces can get highly abstract. Therefore, the best strategy is to link your analysis with the real world. What questions did it answer? Why does it matter? Highlighting the benefits of your study for your audience will make the essay more compelling.
How to Write a Good Conclusion for an Essay about Comparing and Contrasting
Compare-and-contrast essays demonstrate similarities and differences between two or more subjects. The structure of your conclusion will depend on the number of items you compare, the aspects you have decided to focus on, and how you have chosen to organize your essay: subject-by-subject or point-by-point.
In the conclusion, you must synthesize the main points of your observations – similarities and differences between your subjects. Also, sum it all up with your opinion: what follows from your comparison? For example, suppose you compare two historical leaders. In that case, you can conclude the essay with your judgment on whose style was more effective. Alternatively, you can say that both were well-suited for the roles they were cast for in their own unique way, despite their differences.
You should take your conclusion on a more practical plane for some comparison subjects. How can your audience use this information? For example, if you compare APA and MLA, your conclusion can advise your readers which style is proper for which situations. You have a good conclusion if it answers concrete questions like, “Which guide should I use if I write my essay online about Twitter discussions?” or “Which style is recommended for historical studies?”
We have barely scratched the surface of how to write an essay conclusion paragraph for different types of papers, but that should be enough to get a general idea. If you need more information, search our blog for detailed how-to guides on the essay types not covered here. If you need personalized help with crafting a perfect conclusion, just contact us with your request. We will arrange editing for your piece or provide a unique customized sample.
