Conclusion starters are the words and phrases that open your final paragraph and tell the reader your argument is about to land: ultimately, taken together, for these reasons, it is time to. The right one does a specific job. It sums up, stresses what matters most, draws a consequence or asks the reader to act. The wrong one sounds like filler, and instructors notice.
Below, you’ll find starters sorted by the job they do, each with an example sentence, plus one-word options, starters to avoid, how to write a conclusion sentence and an annotated concluding paragraph.
A conclusion starter is a transition word or phrase at the start of your concluding paragraph that signals the move from evidence to final meaning. The UNC Writing Center’s guide to transitions lists conclusion and summary expressions such as in a word, in the final analysis, on the whole and in sum, and Purdue OWL’s list of transitional devices adds as I have shown, accordingly and consequently.
You will use them in two places:
Most lists skip this part: you do not always need one. The UNC Writing Center’s handout on conclusions warns against opening with overused phrases such as “in summary” or “in closing,” noting that although they can work in speeches, “they come across as wooden and trite in writing.” The USC Libraries research paper guide makes the same point: readers can already tell from the section heading and the pages left that they are reaching the end. Use a starter when it adds meaning, such as a result, an emphasis or a judgment. Skip it when it would only announce that the essay is ending.
Choose your starter by what the final paragraph needs to do, not by how formal it sounds. Use this table to find the right group, then use the lists below for exact wording.
| Purpose | What it tells the reader | Sample starters |
|---|---|---|
| Summarize | Here is how the points fit together | Taken together, on the whole, in sum |
| Emphasize | Here is what matters most | Above all, ultimately, most importantly |
| Cause and effect | Here is what follows from the evidence | Therefore, as a result, it follows that |
| Call to action | Here is what should happen next | It is time to, the next step is, we can start by |
| Weigh and judge | Here is my verdict after the objections | On balance, despite these objections |
| Reflect | Here is how this changed me | Looking back, in the end, since then |
| Report findings | Here is what the data show | These findings suggest, the results indicate |
Use these when the reader needs your main points pulled into one claim. UNC’s advice is to “synthesize, don’t summarize”: show how the points fit together instead of listing them again.
| Starter | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Taken together, | Taken together, the bus cuts, the shorter library hours and the new fees explain why attendance fell in the poorest neighborhoods first. |
| On the whole, | On the whole, the four-day week saved the district money but shifted real costs onto working parents. |
| All things considered, | All things considered, a phone-free classroom protects instruction time better than any app-blocking policy. |
| In short, | In short, the public library is no longer just a place for books; it is the town’s last free indoor space. |
| In sum, | In sum, Douglass presents reading as the first step toward freedom rather than a reward that comes after it. |
| As this essay has shown, | As this essay has shown, school uniforms hide income differences in the hallway but do little about bullying online. |
More summarizing starters: overall, in brief, viewed as a whole, with all this in mind, taking everything into account, drawing these points together, as the preceding sections show.
Use these when one point outweighs the rest and you want the reader to leave with it. They work best when the body has already earned the emphasis.
| Starter | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Above all, | Above all, the novel suggests that money can buy Gatsby a mansion but not a second chance at the past. |
| Most importantly, | Most importantly, the tutoring program reached students who had never asked for help before. |
| What matters most is | What matters most is not whether the policy is popular but whether it keeps students in class. |
| Ultimately, | Ultimately, the debate over standardized tests is a debate about what a diploma should promise. |
| The central point is | The central point is that the rule punishes the very students it claims to protect. |
| If one idea stands out, it is that | If one idea stands out, it is that small, regular practice beats last-minute cramming. |
More emphasizing starters: clearly, without a doubt, undeniably, the key takeaway is, the real issue is, more than anything, what this comes down to is.
Use these when your essay traced causes and the conclusion names the result, or when your reasons lead to a recommendation. UNC groups accordingly, consequently, hence, so, therefore and thus as cause-and-effect transitions.
| Starter | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Therefore, | Therefore, the school should change its start time before it pays for another tutoring program. |
| As a result, | As a result, the character who seems weakest in the first act is the only one left standing at the end. |
| Consequently, | Consequently, any honest comparison of the two plans has to count maintenance, not just construction. |
| Thus, | Thus, the treaty that was meant to secure peace helped create the grievances that followed it. |
| For these reasons, | For these reasons, the council should fund the after-school program for another three years. |
| It follows that | It follows that cheaper textbooks alone will not close the gap if students still cannot get to campus. |
More cause and effect starters: hence, accordingly, given these points, this means that, because of this, in light of these effects, for this reason.
Use these in persuasive essays, proposals, policy papers and speeches, where the reader should do or support something. UNC suggests proposing “a course of action, a solution to an issue, or questions for further study” as one way to end strongly.
| Starter | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| It is time to | It is time to treat school librarians as teaching staff rather than an optional extra. |
| The next step is | The next step is a one-year pilot in two schools, measured against two schools that keep the old schedule. |
| If [group] wants [goal], it must | If the district wants higher attendance, it must fix the bus routes first. |
| Instead of [current approach], [group] should | Instead of banning phones outright, schools should set phone-free periods and enforce them consistently. |
| The choice is clear: | The choice is clear: repair the bridge now or pay more to replace it later. |
| Future research should | Future research should test whether these results hold for part-time and online students. |
More call to action starters: we can start by, now is the time to, what remains is to, the best place to begin is, before the next vote, policymakers should.
Use these in argumentative essays that addressed counterarguments. They show that you considered the other side and still reached a verdict.
| Starter | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| On balance, | On balance, the benefits of the four-day week outweigh its costs for rural districts with long bus rides. |
| While critics are right that | While critics are right that uniforms cost money up front, the policy’s benefits for classroom focus justify the expense. |
| Despite these objections, | Despite these objections, the evidence still favors a later start time. |
| In the final analysis, | In the final analysis, Macbeth’s ambition matters less than his willingness to act on it. |
| The stronger case is for | The stronger case is for regulation, because the market has had years to fix the problem and has not. |
More weighing starters: weighing both sides, even so, granted, although the evidence is mixed, after weighing the objections.
Use these in narrative, reflective and college application essays, where the conclusion shows what an experience meant. Many strong personal essays skip the starter and end on a concrete image instead.
| Starter | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Looking back, | Looking back, the job I took for the paycheck taught me more about patience than any class did. |
| In the end, | In the end, the trip was less about reaching the summit than about learning to ask for help. |
| Today, | Today, I still keep that notebook, though I write in it for very different reasons. |
| What I took from this was | What I took from this was simple: preparation beats confidence. |
| I now understand that | I now understand that my grandmother’s stubbornness was a kind of courage. |
More reflective starters: since then, years later, that moment taught me, if I learned one thing, these days.
Use these when your conclusion reports findings. They let you state a result with the right level of confidence, including results that did not support your hypothesis.
| Starter | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| These findings suggest that | These findings suggest that reminder texts improve attendance more than mailed letters do. |
| The results indicate that | The results indicate that the reaction rate increased with temperature in all five trials. |
| Based on the data, | Based on the data, the hypothesis that light color affects plant height was not supported. |
| Within the limits of this sample, | Within the limits of this sample, the effect appears small but consistent across both groups. |
| Although further research is needed, | Although further research is needed, the pattern held in every classroom observed. |
More research starters: this study demonstrates that, taken together, these results, the evidence presented here supports, the data do not support, a key limitation is, future studies could.
Use these only when the tone is conversational. UNC notes that announcing phrases that fall flat on the page can work in a speech.
The best single words to start a conclusion are ultimately, overall, therefore and thus, because each tells the reader how the ending relates to what came before. Match the word to what your last sentence actually does.
| Word | What it signals | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Ultimately | What the argument finally comes down to | Your last sentence names the stakes, not just the points |
| Overall | A general view of everything above | You want a neutral summary; works in almost any register |
| Therefore | A logical result of your reasons | The body actually gave the reasons; otherwise it sounds like a bluff |
| Thus | A result or a compressed summary | Formal essays; it can sound stiff in a personal piece |
| Consequently | An effect that follows from causes | The essay traced causes and you are naming the outcome |
| Hence | For this reason | Formal or technical writing; rare in personal essays |
| Accordingly | An action that fits the evidence | You are moving from evidence to a recommendation |
| Essentially | The core of the matter | Boiling a complex argument down to one claim |
| Clearly | Emphasis: the point is now obvious | Only when the evidence really did make it clear |
| Undoubtedly | Strong certainty | Use sparingly; it invites the reader to look for doubt |
| Finally | The last item in a sequence | Better for the last body point than for the conclusion |
A note on finally: UNC lists it as both a sequence word and a conclusion word, and Purdue OWL lists it under adding, time and sequence. If your previous body paragraph began with second or next, a paragraph that opens with finally reads like a third point, not a conclusion.
Avoid conclusion sentence starters that only announce the ending, hedge your claim, signal the wrong relationship or sound out of place in academic writing. Several of these still appear on long starter lists, so check any phrase against this table before you use it.
The most common of all, in conclusion, is not grammatically wrong, and it works in a speech or a timed exam answer. In a polished essay, though, most instructors would rather you open the final paragraph with your point, so treat it as a last resort rather than a default.
| Weak starter | The problem | Try instead |
|---|---|---|
| Phrases that only announce the ending, such as in conclusion, to conclude, to sum up, in summary or in closing | They tell the reader something the page layout already shows. Fine in a speech, flat in an essay. | Open with your restated claim, or use taken together |
| To sum it all up, to wrap it all up | Wordy and casual; the extra words add nothing. | In short or in sum |
| In my opinion, I think, I believe | Readers already assume the argument is yours, and the hedge weakens it. | State the claim directly |
| Last but not least, lastly, finally | They signal one more item in a list, so the reader expects another body point. | Ultimately or above all |
| Eventually | A time word. It says when something happened, not what your argument adds up to. | In the end (personal essays) or ultimately |
| Since, while, although on their own | These open a dependent clause, not a conclusion, and often produce a sentence fragment. | While critics are right that …, the evidence shows … |
| Now you know why, I hope you can now see, do you realize that | They talk down to the reader or ask a question you should be answering. | These points show why |
| The summative end is, my final bow is, the nexus between | Not standard English phrases; they sound translated or invented. | The broad conclusion is |
| The data prove (when your paper has no data) | An evidence starter with no evidence behind it confuses the reader, and prove overclaims. | The sources reviewed here suggest |
Also, do not stack starters (“To conclude, overall, …”), and do not let a starter stand in for a point. If the sentence after ultimately could end any essay on any topic, the problem is the sentence, not the starter.
To write a conclusion sentence, restate your main claim in fresh words and show what the body of the essay proved; the starter is only the hinge that gets you there. Purdue OWL’s guide to argumentative essays describes a good conclusion as one that “does not simply restate the thesis, but readdresses it in light of the evidence provided.”
| Version | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Thesis | First-year writing courses should replace letter grades on drafts with written feedback, because early grades discourage revision. |
| Weak conclusion sentence | To sum up, first-year writing courses should replace letter grades on drafts with written feedback, because early grades discourage revision. |
| Strong conclusion sentence | Taken together, the drafts, the student interviews and the instructors’ own comments show that students revise more when the grade comes last, not first. |
The weak version copies the thesis and adds a filler phrase. The strong version uses a summarizing starter, names the evidence the essay used and states the finding in new words.
Body paragraphs need conclusion sentences too, but their job is smaller: tie the paragraph’s evidence back to your thesis or hand off to the next point. UNC’s guide to paragraph development compares a paragraph to a sandwich, where the bottom slice “tells the reader how the paragraph relates to the broader argument.” It adds that you can also simply transition to the next paragraph.
Here is a body paragraph from an essay on The Great Gatsby, with the concluding sentence in bold:
Gatsby’s parties look like proof of his popularity, but they are strangely empty. Crowds arrive every weekend, yet many guests have never met their host, and they trade rumors about who he really is. When Gatsby dies, almost none of them come to his funeral. Thus, the parties that seem to prove Gatsby’s popularity end up exposing how alone he is.
A good body-paragraph concluding sentence:
Avoid “And that is why …” or “That is what I learned about …,” which sound like spoken asides. For starters that open body paragraphs instead of closing them, see our list of good paragraph starters for essays.
Most conclusion starters are introductory words or phrases, so put a comma after them. Purdue OWL’s comma rules call for a comma after introductory clauses, phrases and words that come before the main clause.
When therefore, thus or consequently joins two complete sentences, a comma alone creates a comma splice. Purdue OWL’s sentence punctuation patterns show the fix: a semicolon before the word and a comma after it.
Phrases that flow straight into a clause, such as it follows that, these findings suggest that or the next step is, take no comma.
A starter only opens the concluding paragraph; the rest restates your thesis, connects your main points, explains why they matter and leaves the reader with one final idea. UNC and USC both stress the same moves: synthesize rather than repeat, point to broader implications and keep new evidence in the body.
Here is a weak conclusion for an essay arguing that a city should switch from drop-off recycling to curbside pickup:
To sum it all up, recycling is good for the environment. Recycling is very important and everyone should do it. It also saves cities money. In my opinion, recycling is the best way to fight pollution.
It announces the ending, restates the topic instead of the thesis, adds an unsupported claim about money and hedges with “in my opinion.”
Here is a revised version, with each part labeled:
[Starter and restated thesis] Ultimately, curbside pickup would turn recycling in our city from a chore that a few residents make time for into a routine that most households follow. [Synthesis] The drop-off sites are too far for residents without cars, their hours clash with work schedules, and confusing sorting rules send many recyclables to the landfill anyway; curbside bins solve all three problems with one change. [Significance] That matters because a recycling program protects resources only if people actually use it. [Call to action] Before next spring’s budget vote, the council should fund a one-year curbside pilot in the two neighborhoods farthest from a drop-off site.
The starter signals a final judgment, the thesis appears in new words, the three body points become one sentence, and the last line gives the reader something specific to do. For the full step-by-step process, see our guide on how to start a conclusion paragraph.
The right starter depends on the assignment, because each genre asks the conclusion to do something different.
| Assignment | Strong starters | What the conclusion should do |
|---|---|---|
| Argumentative essay | On balance, for these reasons, despite these objections | Restate the claim in light of the evidence and answer the strongest objection. |
| Persuasive essay or speech | It is time to, the choice is clear, the next step is | End with a specific action. In a speech, an announcing phrase is acceptable. |
| Research paper | These findings suggest, taken together, future research should | Synthesize findings, state their significance and name what still needs study. |
| Lab report | The results indicate, based on the data, within the limits of this sample | Say whether the hypothesis was supported and note limitations. |
| Literary analysis | Above all, in the final analysis, viewed as a whole | Connect your reading of the text to its larger theme. |
| Compare-and-contrast essay | Although both, despite their differences, taken together | Explain what the comparison reveals that neither subject shows alone. |
| Personal or college essay | Looking back, today, since then, or no starter at all | Show how you changed; end on an image or action, not a moral. |
For more on each genre, see our guides to writing an argumentative essay, writing a lab report conclusion and transition words for compare-and-contrast essays.
If you have a draft and want someone to check whether your ending works, you can book a tutor to review your conclusion and explain what to strengthen.
Good words to start a conclusion match the job of your final paragraph. To summarize, try “taken together” or “on the whole.” To emphasize, try “above all” or “ultimately.” To show a result, use “therefore” or “as a result.” To ask the reader to act, try “it is time to” or “the next step is.” If none of these adds meaning, open with your restated thesis instead.
Many instructors dislike starters that only announce the ending, such as “in summary” or “in closing.” The UNC Writing Center says these phrases can work in speeches but “come across as wooden and trite in writing.” Teachers also mark down hedges like “in my opinion,” list words like “last but not least” and casual phrases like “in a nutshell” in formal essays.
For most short essays, one focused concluding paragraph is enough. Longer papers may need more: the USC Libraries research guide says a research paper’s conclusion often needs only two or three well-developed paragraphs. Keep it in proportion to the paper, and check your assignment sheet, since some instructors set their own length rules.
A conclusion starter is a type of transition word. Transitions connect ideas throughout an essay and can signal addition, contrast, examples or sequence. Conclusion starters are the smaller group that signals summary, emphasis, result or final judgment, so they belong at the start of the last paragraph or the end of a body paragraph. Words like “however” or “for example” are transitions but not conclusion starters.
Yes, if you use them carefully. UNC suggests including a provocative insight or quotation from the research you did, and USC recommends citing a quotation or expert opinion already noted in your paper. Avoid a brand-new quote that brings in new evidence. A rhetorical question can work in persuasive writing, but answer it in the next sentence so the ending does not feel unfinished.
It depends on the assignment. In personal essays and reflections, “I” is expected. In analytical and research writing, ask your instructor. The UNC Writing Center’s handout on using “I” notes that phrases like “I think” or “I believe” cannot replace a real defense of an argument, and readers already assume the ideas in your paper are yours, so cutting them usually makes the claim stronger.
No. A conclusion starter is optional. Many strong conclusions open directly with the restated thesis, because the reader can already see the essay is ending. Use a starter when it adds meaning, such as a result (“therefore”), an emphasis (“above all”) or a judgment (“on balance”). If the sentence reads just as well without it, delete the starter.
Post your assignment, compare tutor bids and work with an expert who explains each step.
Essay Editing Help
Get affordable and top-notch help for your essays and homework services from our expert tutors. Ace your homework, boost your grades, and shine in online classes—all with just a click away!
Fast, secure, and handled by vetted experts.
Learn how to cram for a test with a smart plan: triage the material, use active recall and practice questions, protect your sleep and review on test day.
Read More
Adding paragraph starters for any essay is easy when you know which ones to use and when. So incorporate the ones provided in this post to strengthen your writing or if you still don’t know how to, ask for writing help from Acemyhomework.
Read More
Learn how to start a conclusion paragraph with five opening moves, starter phrases for each essay type, annotated examples and the mistakes that weaken endings.
Read More