Strategies for Concluding Paragraphs*

Summarize the main points

Review the main points briefly; a detailed summary will seem repetitive.

Restate the thesis

Put the thesis in different words to drive home the essay’s main point.

Predict future events or speculate

Look at relatively clear consequences, not those requiring explanation; keep speculations interesting but not so provocative that they require extensive discussion.

Use a quotation

Provide a quotation that makes key ideas memorable or supports your conclusions.

Offer a striking example, anecdote, or image

Supply a mental picture or brief narrative to reinforce an essay’s message

Echo the introduction

Use this echo to create a sense of completion.