This document provides guidance on different types of conclusions for an essay, including summary, recommendation, prediction, full circle, and quotation conclusions. It advises recapping the main points of the essay in a summary conclusion. A recommendation conclusion suggests solutions to problems raised. A prediction conclusion looks toward the future. A full circle conclusion incorporates elements from the introduction. A quotation conclusion uses a quote to quickly restate the main idea. The document cautions against lecturing tones or claiming to have "proven" something in the conclusion.

1. Conclusions

2. Conclusions The first sentence or two should take the reader back to the thesis. Make sure it sounds like a closing statement.

3. Summary Conclusion Recap the main points of your essay. Make sure to use different wording for your sub topics and thesis. Ex: During my tour of duty with the Air Force, I received hands-on experience in electronics, furthered my education, and developed confidence in my ability to handle my own life. I never piloted a plane while I was in the Air Force, but in many good ways, I learned to soar.

4. Recommendation Conclusion Suggest a solution to the problem raised in the essay. Recommend an idea. For example: It does not matter whether the shot is fired in the commission of a robbery, in the heat of an argument, or by accident. The result is the same: a life is lost. The logical solution is the one already in use by more enlightened countries- to outlaw handguns. Outlawing handguns is a major step toward a safer, saner, less fearful society.

5. Prediction Conclusion Looking towards the future. Ex: A society of graying baby boomers, working parents, and two-income families is becoming increasingly dependent on service providers. In the 21st century, hiring help with housecleaning, lawn maintenance, and child care will no longer be a luxury for many Americans, but a necessity.

6. Full Circle Conclusion Incorporates a word or image from the introduction as a theme. Brings essay back from where it started. Intro: The photograph in the magazine showed a laboratory rat with a human ear growing out of its back. The strange-looking creature was part of an experiment in the re-growth of human cartilage through genetic engineering. I immediately thought of my neighbor Otis Needham, who lost an ear to cancer. Genetic engineering is a relatively new field, but it promises quantum leaps in organ and tissue replacement, cure of disease, and prevention of birth defects.

7. Full Circle continued Conclusion: In a laboratory somewhere, a little white rat, burdened with an ear he cannot use, heralds a brighter future for the Otis Needhams of the world. Thanks in part to this little rat and others like him, human beings will live longer and healthier lives through the promise of genetic engineering.

8. Quotation Conclusion Bring your point of your paper (main idea/thesis) back to the reader quickly by using a quote. Ex: I had always planned to go to college “someday.” But it took a loaded gun to make me realize how much of my life I had squandered behind the counter of the Kwik-Stop #7. The day after the robbery, I gave notice and filled out a college application. At the time, I had never heard of Cervantes, but his words express a truth I realized that day: “By the streets of someday, one arrives at the house of never.”

9. Things to avoid in Conclusions Avoid lecturing: “Stay away from drugs-you’ll be glad you did.” Reader finds it insulting “As I have proven in this essay…” “All in all…” These are mechanical and starched ways to end. No one likes to read it.