Concluding Sentences: 

Do's and Don'ts

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  A concluding sentence does more than
wrap up what you have said in your
paragraph:
 
it summarize ideas
it transitions to the next paragraph
it demonstrates the importance of your topic
idea

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 Think of your paragraph like a hamburger:
 
The top bun is the topic sentence 
The middle ingredients are the supporting
sentences
The bottom bun is the concluding sentence
 
The buns hold everything together and resemble
each other, just as the topic and concluding
sentences should.

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 Do's
• Do stick to the main points.
 
• Do allow for a smooth transition between the
concluding sentence and the topic sentence of the
next paragraph. For example:

o Concluding sentence "For these reasons, sea

level rise is a climate change impact."
 
o Topic sentence in following paragraph "Another
key stressor from climate change is
extreme weather." 
 
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 More Do's
Do focus and be specific about how your supporting
sentences contribute to the concluding sentence.
 
Do arrange the body of the paragraph in a sequence
that flows to lead up to the concluding sentence.
 
Do make sure that a concluding sentence is necessary
for your paragraph, as some short paragraphs may not
require one.

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 Don'ts
Don't simply rephrase your topic sentence; that would be
redundant. 

Don't begin with an unnecessary, overused phrase

like "in conclusion", "in summary", "in closing",
or "as shown in the essay." (These may work in
speeches, but they come across as wooden and trite in
writing.) 

Sometimes all you need are a few well chosen words 

 to sum up the main idea you have developed.
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 The end.
More free PARAGRAPH WRITING resources:
• topic sentence
• supporting details
• unity & coherence
• types of paragraphs

Eight-week PARAGRAPH  WRITING courses:

• elementary school
• middle school
• high school

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