Choose the best concluding sentence
Key Notes :
What is a Concluding Sentence?
- Definition: A concluding sentence is the final sentence in a paragraph that summarizes the main idea or provides a closing thought.
- Purpose: It wraps up the paragraph and reinforces the main point, giving the reader a sense of closure.
Why is the Concluding Sentence Important?
- Explanation: The concluding sentence helps remind the reader of the main idea and brings the paragraph to a smooth and logical end.
- Example: In a paragraph about the importance of recycling, the concluding sentence might be, “By recycling regularly, we can help protect the environment for future generations.”
How to Identify a Good Concluding Sentence
- Step 1: Restate the Main Idea
- The best concluding sentence will often restate the main idea in a new way, without repeating it word-for-word.
- Example: If the main idea is “Exercising regularly keeps you healthy,” the concluding sentence might be, “Staying active is essential for a healthy life.”
- Step 2: Summarize the Supporting Details
- A good concluding sentence can briefly summarize the key points or details that were discussed in the paragraph.
- Example: “From strong muscles to a healthy heart, exercise offers many important benefits.”
- Step 3: Avoid Introducing New Ideas
- The concluding sentence should not introduce new information or ideas that haven’t been discussed in the paragraph. It should only wrap up what has already been mentioned.
Examples of Good and Bad Concluding Sentences
- Good Concluding Sentence:
“In conclusion, staying active and exercising regularly can greatly improve your overall health.” - This sentence wraps up the main idea by restating it and concluding the paragraph logically.
- Bad Concluding Sentence:
“There are also many ways to exercise, like swimming and dancing.” - This sentence introduces new details instead of summarizing the main idea, making it less effective as a concluding sentence.
Choosing the Best Concluding Sentence
- Tip 1: The best concluding sentence brings the paragraph to a satisfying close and mirrors the topic sentence by reinforcing the main point.
- Tip 2: It should offer a sense of finality and wrap up the thoughts without leaving the reader with questions or new ideas.
- Tip 3: A strong concluding sentence leaves the reader with a clear takeaway from the paragraph.
Learn with an example
Read the paragraph. Then, add the better concluding sentence.
Some parts of your body perform tasks you can’t see and help you in ways that may be surprising. The ear, in fact, has an important job besides allowing you to hear. It assists you with your balance. The inner ear is home to three tiny canals that have fluid and small hairs inside of them. The fluid and hairs perform the key duty of sensing the movement of your head. When you move your head, the fluid and small hairs also move. Then, the small hairs relay a message to your brain that your head is moving. After that, the brain sends a message to your muscles to help you stay balanced. ________
- After all, there are three canals in your ear that have hairs and fluid.
- So, the next time you catch your balance, remember to thank your ears.
The paragraph describes how fluid and hairs in your ear help you with balance. This is the better concluding sentence:
✔ So, the next time you catch your balance, remember to thank your ears. This concluding sentence ties the ideas in the paragraph together and helps the reader connect to them.
This sentence is a detail:
x After all, there are three canals in your ear that have hairs and fluid. Only part of the paragraph talks about how there are three canals in your ear.
Read the paragraph. Then, add the better concluding sentence.
Southeast Asia has a popular sport that you may have never heard of. That sport is known as sepak takraw, or kick volleyball. Like regular volleyball, kick volleyball is played by two teams on a large court that is divided by a net. Unlike regular volleyball, however, kick volleyball players are not allowed to use their arms or hands to hit the ball. Instead, the players must keep the ball in the air using only their feet, knees, chests and heads. Because of this no -hands rule, some people say that kick volleyball is more similar to football than it is to regular volleyball. ________
- If you ever visit Southeast Asia, check out a kick volleyball game in action.
- The kick volleyball court has two teams and a net, much like the volleyball you know.
The paragraph talks about how kick volleyball is a popular sport in Southeast Asia. This is the better concluding sentence:
✔ If you ever visit Southeast Asia, check out a kick volleyball game in action. This concluding sentence ties the ideas in the paragraph together and helps the reader connect to them.
This sentence is a detail:
x The kick volleyball court has two teams and a net, much like the volleyball you know. Only part of the paragraph talks about how kick volleyball has two teams and a net.
let’s practice!
Read the paragraph. Then, add the better concluding sentence.
Nine-banded armadillos may be the strangest animals to roam the Americas. The word armadillo, which means ‘little armoured one’ in Spanish, perfectly describes what the small animals look like. Armadillos look like rats that put on suits of armour! The head, body and tail of armadillos are covered with scaly, leathery plates called scutes. Some people say that these scutes look like little interlocking shields. Others insist that the scutes look like pieces of armour that a knight would wear. But their strange appearance doesn’t end there. While many animals have long legs and short noses, the armadillo has a long nose and short legs. _____