ENG ESSAY

1

Unit V

Lesson 8: Writing a Strong Conclusion

Introduction

In Unit II, Lesson 6, we looked at the form of the conclusion. Here is the information that you learned about general conclusions:

The conclusion paragraph should do the following:

· Restate the main idea (MI) of the essay, including the thesis statement (TS).

· Summarize (S) the points of each paragraph (usually the topic sentence of each paragraph). and

· Leave the reader with an interesting final thought (FT).

Summing Up the Main Ideas without Simply Repeating

It is imperative that you summarize the main points of your essay without actually repeating the same exact statements verbatim. Why is this? If a reader is a good reader, then he or she will have read through each sentence of the essay, and that means that the reader has absorbed each idea and the phrasing of each idea. You want to reiterate the main ideas, but you do not want to insult the reader—as though he or she was not able to grasp the ideas the first time. Additionally, repeating the same phrasing can seem lazy to a reader because you were not invested enough to come up with new language that describes your ideas. Moreover, repeating verbatim can make your essay seem simplistic as though your ideas are not really as complex or rich as they could be.

Let’s look at an example of how you might summarize without repeating:

(MI) There are many benefits to using social networks: connection to far-away friends and family, news and information through sharing, and important identity construction in a post-social networked world; (TS) however, each of these benefits has a drawback. (S) The amount of time that people spend using social networking sites is staggering in comparison to other online activities. Putting one’s life into the public sphere means that one’s personal side is no longer private. Further, posting disparaging comments on social networking sites could have negative effects for professional life, with job stability and opportunities now linked to what employees think both in and out of the office. Finally, social networking presents users with a paradox: The very relationships that are superficially maintained through these websites can be inhibited offline. (FT) Social networking is neither all beneficial nor all detrimental; however, when engaging in such activity, one must ask himself or herself whether the enjoyment of participation is worth the potential costs.

Review

1. A conclusion should do the following: (1) restate the main idea of the essay, including the thesis statement; (2) summarize the points of each paragraph (usually the topic sentence of each paragraph); and (3) leave the reader with an interesting final thought.