Conclusion
Conclusion is the act of finalizing or concluding an idea, process, text, work and other activities that require an end to a sequence of steps.
The conclusion is one of the essential parts of an essay , for example. The conclusion of an essay or academic work (such as the TCC – Course Completion Work), must present an outcome for the entire subject that was discussed throughout the development of the text, as well as solutions or analyzes regarding what was discussed.
Teachers and specialists in text construction suggest that the conclusion, in this context, not contain some words considered as “ cliché ”, such as: “in summary”, “concluding” or “ending”, for example.
Other basic rules for writing an essay consist of not providing new information (which is not contained in the text’s development), as well as proposing ideas that were not previously presented in the work.
The conclusion of work and writing should preferably be coherent and objective. The last lines or paragraphs of the text should be intended for the outcome of the writer’s reasoning, that is, the consequences of his argument.
How to make a conclusion in 6 steps
1. Be brief and to the point
It is important that the conclusion be succinct, as you already had the entire text to expose your ideas and arguments in detail. So, the ideal is not to curl up to finish.
Even with a few sentences, it is possible to add a final touch so that your readers do not easily forget everything they saw in your text.
2. Resume the introduction to underscore the main idea
Your text answers a question or proposes a specific solution, right? In the introduction, you should mention these situations to captivate the reader and even to explain what will be covered.
Then, in conclusion, you can go back to what was said to show and reinforce how your arguments are able to compose this answer, or solution.
3. Summarize what was said to tie your ideas together
This step is not always necessary, but if you have presented very varied ideas and arguments in the text, it is an excellent idea to clarify how they relate to build a single message.
4. Highlight the main idea
What is the “moral of the story ”? Think of the main lesson that readers can take away from your text and insert it in the conclusion.
5. Encourage the reader to act or reflect
What should your reader do or think when finishing your text? Perhaps there is a clear action, or an idea to ponder.
In conclusion, it’s the perfect time to make a call to action (or reflection) and encourage the reader to follow your recommendations.
6. Avoid cliches
Terms like “in summary”, “summarizing”, “concluding”, “summarizing”, “in the end” and the like are so often used in conclusions that they have become worn out and obvious.
Here are some terms to use in their place:
- “therefore”;
- “due to”;
- “soon”;
- “thus”;
- “based on what was presented”;
- “that’s why”.
Find out more about other connectives to be used here, such as “logo”, “consequently”, “therefore”, “because of that”, “by virtue of”, etc.
The end of your text should convey the idea of conclusion through structure, summary of ideas and arguments, proposition of a solution and encouragement for action or reflection.
Listing this way may seem like a lot, but it’s not. Just follow these steps and you can fit everything into a few paragraphs and you will be able to masterfully complete your next texts!
Editor’s Note:
Look at the last two paragraphs as an example. They work perfectly as the conclusion to this text so far, don’t you think? But we won’t stop there and we’ll look at the most common mistakes too!
The most common mistakes when making a conclusion
1. Break the text suddenly to finish it
A good argumentative content should arrange the information in a chain. In other words, one idea leads to another. So that it is possible to say that, within the same text, there are several other small conclusions.
We call this linguistic resource cadence, that is, the following of a rational succession, whose purpose is to connect the paragraphs with each other.
However, none of them are as important as your closing argument. And, of course, it must follow the logical sequence of the allegations cited throughout the article, right?
Remember to link your conclusion with what was said earlier. A headless ending can alienate your reader precisely at the most important point of the reading.
2. Forgetting the call to action or reflection
Many people end up forgetting that, to reinforce your message, the conclusion of the text must directly inspire the reader to action, or reflection.
In content marketing, for example, we always encourage an action, such as:
- like a fanpage;
- share on social networks ;
- subscribe to a newsletter;
- comment on a post;
- download a material;
- watch a video;
- access another article;
- click on a link;
- make a download;
- request a quote;
- contact the company;
- answer a questionnaire;
- buy a product.
Of course, this can vary, and you should decide on the one that best suits your goals.
3. Using very long paragraphs
Very long paragraphs can discourage the reader and, in the conclusion, are a strong indication that you are doing something incoherent, whether it is resuming what was covered in excess or presenting new ideas.
4. Present new arguments
As we have seen, at the end of the text is the time to tie all your ideas and arguments together to build the final message.
In conclusion, one should not add new arguments and this is one of the points where writers are most confused. In case the new argument is needed in the text, a revision to fit it in the development is the best way.
5. Finalize the open text
A text should not end with a subliminal message.
Editor’s note:
Imagine this text ended here. It would feel really bad, right? That same feeling of watching a movie without an ending, but even worse, because it wouldn’t have a continuation.
A good conclusion must fulfill the promise of the title , bringing utilitarian character as a priority. Thus, the chances of pleasing the reader greatly increase, as well as the possibility of him performing the expected action.
Examples of how to make a conclusion
Even varying according to the type and genre of text, there are elements that help a lot when making most conclusions, especially texts for the web. Check out some examples:
1. Resume of the introduction
The most classic of all. Imagine a text about decoration, in which you stated in the introduction that the current trend is to paint the walls in lighter colors. The conclusion could be as follows:
“So, knowing that the trend of the year is to decorate the walls with softer colors and (returning to an important data that you presented in the development), we can expect houses with much calmer and more welcoming environments from now on.”
2. Question
A very interesting trick is to ask a question with a more challenging tone to instigate the reader and call him to action. This example is more appropriate for more informal posts, so always remember to double check the customer and persona you are writing for.
You can ask something like “What did you think of the text?” or even “So, are you going to be able to stay out of this trend?” and let the imagination flow well at this time of interaction.
3. Concluding conjunction
Conjunctions like “therefore”, “before that”, “in this way” and others are excellent for linking development and conclusion. By the way, conjunctions are always welcome when tying together the ideas of a text, as they make the content more organized and fluid.
4. Analysis or suggestion
Some texts ask for a stronger opinion from the author. If this is the case, the conclusion is a good place to present a quick analysis and, if possible, even leave a suggestion for whoever is reading. Here goes ours:
“Once you know all the tricks to complete your text smoothly, we suggest you practice a lot, after all, the best way to improve your writing is to write!”
