Essay Writing Tips

Top Conclusion Transition Words to End Argumentative Essays Effectively

Ashley Parker  2025-06-23
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The conclusion is very important in the argument and persuasive essay because it restates the author's point of view, highlights the main points, and conveys the essence of the essay to the reader. A firm conclusion is more than a summary and confirms the position of the writer and reminds the reader of the main point in the essay. 

The conclusion transition words for argumentative essays play a key role in adhering to the conclusion, making the message at the end strike a proper tone with the reader. Such phrases as in conclusion, ultimately, to sum up develop the continuity but establish the significance of the arguments in question. This roadmap will give the readers a full account of the best transition words with useful tips and examples that can be used to boost their argumentative papers. 


Conclusion Transition Words for Argumentative Essays

Transition words act as signalposts for the reader to inform about the end of the essay and develop a structure for the essay. With the use of transition words, the writers can easily and effectively summarize and place the key arguments of the essay in the conclusion. It also reinforces the main thesis. Since these words direct the reader to the conclusion part, they make the transition between the body of the essay and the closing remarks well-structured and logical. The inclusion of conclusion transition words for argumentative essays can emphasize the importance of the arguments, leaving a greater impact in underling the writer’s perspective. 

List of Common Transition Words

  • Summarizing: Transition words effectively guide the reader about the beginning of the conclusion. It helps the writers to transition smoothly from the body paragraph to the conclusion in an argumentative and persuasive essay. Place the transition words at the beginning of the conclusion and reinforce the main points and argument of the essay. This can be done easily without compromising the structure by using transition words. The table below contains various transition words to use in the conclusion.
 

Transition Words for Conclusion 

As a final point, In conclusion, To sum up, All things considered, In summary, Finally, Overall, In retrospect, To conclude, In closing, Taking everything into account, In the final analysis, Upon reflection, To wrap up, All in all, As has been demonstrated, by way of conclusion, taking everything into account, on the whole, To summarize, Considering these points, In the end

  • Restating: Concluding a piece is more than just recapping what you have said in the essay. It reinforces the main argument of the essay. Now, the main concern remains with the writer regarding the flow of the essay. By placing the transition words for an argumentative essay before restating the central idea of the main arguments, one can maintain the fluency of the argumentative and persuasive essay. Let’s take a look at transition words for restating in the table below.  
 

Transition Words for Restating

To put it another way, to clarify, For this reason, that is to say, to ensure, Furthermore, as I said, as noted above, to rephrase it, As a result, to put it simply, In the meantime, Hence, In Other words, Therefore, Equally, Likewise, Additionally, Conversely, Thus, Ultimately, Similarly

Bonus: In conclusion, you are fixing the arguments discussed in the body paragraph. To learn about transition words in the body paragraph, click here. 

Examples to use Transition words in the Conclusion 

Conclusion on Renewable Energy

  • To sum up,” the future without renewable energy sources shall not be sustainable. We can reduce climate change, generate employment, and achieve independence from fossil fuels by lessening our dependency on fossil fuels. “After all,” continued use of non-renewable energy is no longer a choice but a mandatory action toward a healthier world.

Explanation

  • To sum up”: The summary phrase shows that the author has reached a conclusion to his/her discussion and will outline it. It makes the reader ready to make an assessment or conclusion.
  •  “After all”: This is a transition word that highlights the fact that this is the last part of the argument, and it is significant as well as critical in the context of the entire discussion.

Conclusion on the Death Penalty

  • To conclude,” the death penalty poses serious moral, legal, and social issues. Even though it tries to administer justice, it usually results in inequality and does not rein in crime sufficiently. "While," the main objective would be to end the practice of the death penalty, “thus,” a more inclusive sense of justice would be achieved.

Explanation

  • To conclude”: Just like in conclusion, the phrase allows the author to make it known to the reader that he/she is about to summarize the arguments that have been presented before.
  • While”: This is the transition word for counterclaim that introduces the contrast and recognizes the side of the argument that takes the position in favor of the death penalty, but at the same time issues the counter-argument of the author.
  • "Thus": This is a transition word which symbolizes that a logical reason has been provided based on the past statements, i.e., that the death penalty needs to be abolished due to the reasons given.

These conclusion transition words help enhance coherence and clarity within the conclusions, guiding readers through the author's thought process and reinforcing the overall message.


How to Write a Conclusion for a Persuasive Essay

The conclusion that you will write in a persuasive essay is very important because it will tie up the knots of your arguments and will definitely make a lasting impression on the mind of your reader. The following are the guidelines on how to write a conclusion for a persuasive essay that includes your main arguments effectively.

Steps for Crafting a Persuasive Conclusion:

  1. State Thesis Differently: Start the conclusion with a restatement of your thesis statement, but present it in your own words. This will strengthen your essential point, and it also reminds the reader of what you are trying to convince them to remember. Suppose your topic was why renewable energy was important, then you would state, "A move to the use of renewable energy sources is not only good but also a requirement towards sustainable living."
     
  2. Provide a Concise Overview of Key Arguments: Restate the thesis, then give a brief overview of what you have talked about in the essay. This may be achieved within two to three sentences. As an example, you could talk about the connection of fossil fuels with climate change, the economic benefits of investing in renewable energy, and how such activities help future generations. The recap will enable you to make your argument stronger without repeating everything you already stated.
     
  3. Provide a Call to Action or Challenging Statement: Finish your persuasive essay conclusion with a powerful statement that will inspire your readers to take some action or look at the world differently. This may be a call towards taking action in promoting policies, transforming individual lifestyles, and participating in communal efforts. 

Incorporating Transition Words

You can improve the flow of the conclusion by using transition words. The expressions like, In conclusion, Ultimately, or Considering all of this, will serve as a smooth transition between your arguments and your final words. As a persuasive writing conclusion example, you can say: Finally, after the switch to renewable energy sources, climate change may be combated, and, at the same time, cause economic development and employment. 

Examples of Persuasive Conclusions

  • Due to this,” renewable energy should become one of our priorities both locally and nationally, and therefore, we should lobby to see laws that support the idea of renewable energy.
  • “In short,” there is an urgent need to bring a solution to the problem of climate change; we should join hands and work towards transforming the planet into a sustainable planet of the future.

To conclude, there must be a powerful end conclusion to leave a striking impression on your reader. Conclusion: The end of your essay should be convincing after you have reiterated your thesis, summarized your arguments, and added a convincing call to action to your conclusion, which should live on long after the conclusion is made.


Tips for Using Transition Words Effectively

  • Selecting Appropriate Transitions for Your Essay: The usage of conclusion transition words for argumentative essays that fit the narrative of the idea is crucial to maintain the flow and coherence in the essay. Therefore, the author must remain careful while choosing the transition words. For instance, a formal academic paper entails dissimilar transitional statements from a personal narrative. With the selection of the right transition words, you can ensure that the writing makes sense and transitions between ideas are smooth. 
     
  • Vary transition words to maintain reader engagement: Using a variety of transition words will make the writing vibrant and interesting. This can be achieved by alternation of phrases such as finally and to sum up, and you do this so that your text is not repetitive, and also so that it would not look monotonous. Such diversity not only helps you to attract the attention of the reader but also to strengthen the logical connections between your ideas, thus increasing their understanding and making the reading process more pleasant.
     
  • Experiment with placement: Positioning of the conclusion transition words for argumentative essays can change the whole meaning of the idea. To take a specific case, the statement, "We conclude, therefore," implicitly moves the emphasis, whereas the statement, "Therefore we conclude," stresses the conclusion. While writing, you can do some experiments and look which version leaves a greater impact, and select those that are more interesting. 
     
  • Avoid overusing transitions to prevent a mechanical tone: Although they are necessary to help the reader, the excessive usage of transitions may give a feeling that your writing is unnatural and inorganic. Excessive use of transitions may take away the smoothness of your ideas and confuse the reader. Seek a balance; make use of transitions where necessary to show relationships, but make sure that you are comfortable in your writing and that you are allowed to speak in your own voice rather than being overly hampered by unnecessary interjections.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Informal transition in formal essays: When formulating a formal writing, it is highly essential to adhere to a professional tone. The light passages, such as those, anyway ruin the gravity of the essay and can be confusing to the readers. Now, if you wonder how to close an argumentative essay, use more suitable transition words. These decisions make the text more straightforward and consistent, so it is scholarly enough to be taken seriously by readers.
     
  • Repeating the same transition word excessively: The repetition of a transition word may make writing dull and mess up the flow of the thought. It may also demonstrate impoverishment of vocabulary, which makes the writing not so lively. In order to make the narrative more dynamic and interesting, one should vary transitions, words, and phrases. It enhances readability and maintains the attention of the reader throughout the entire essay.
     
  • Omitting transitions: In the absence of argumentative writing conclusion transition words, the ideas may seem to appear suddenly from nowhere, which can confuse the reader. Additionally, without the use of transition words, the ideas or two points in an essay might look unrelated to one another and might not make sense. 

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Complete the following conclusions by inserting an appropriate transition word:

  1. The research outcomes are quite evident that climate change is speeding up; _____ it is high time to take some action in order to curb its impact.
     
  2. The team played amazingly during the season; ______ they won the championship title.
  3. ________, there are various methods to solve the problem; the simplest approach seems to be the most effective.

Answers:

  1. Therefore
  2. Ultimately
  3. In conclusion

Exercise 2: Rewrite the Sentence

Rewrite the following conclusions using a different transition word:

  1. To summarize, effective time management skills are essential for students to succeed.
  2. To summarize, adopting renewable energy sources is not only beneficial but also critical for environmental sustainability.

Rewritten Sentences:

  1. Ultimately, it is essential for students to manage their time effectively to succeed.
  2. In conclusion, it can be said that the move to renewable energy sources is not only healthy, but it is much needed to ensure the sustainability of our environment.

Exercise 3: Categorize Transition Words by Function

Categorize the following transition words by their function: summarizing, restating, or call to action.

  • Ultimately
  • In summary
  • To reiterate
  • Therefore
  • In conclusion
  • Consider taking action

Answers:

  • Summarizing: Ultimately, In summary
  • Restating: To reiterate, in conclusion
  • Call to action: Therefore, consider taking action

Conclusion 

Learning to use transition words is important in the effort to come up with proper concluding statements in the argumentative essay. Use of a transition phrase like: to sum up, ultimately, and others not only closes the conversation but also helps to impound the main points raised during the discussion. Authors can make a conclusive, compelling ending by restating the thesis and making a summary of key points, which is appealing to the reader. Moreover, by using a call to action, it is possible to encourage thinking and participation. Finally, the usage of transition words in systematic order makes the writer's view more sensational and ultimately unforgettable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the good transition words for the conclusion?

To effectively start a conclusion, some of the good transition words are In summary, In conclusion, to sum up, ultimately, overall, as a final point, in the end, taking everything into account, finally, all in all, to wrap up, all things considered, and to conclude.

What are the good transition words for a persuasive conclusion?

When you are writing a persuasive essay, you can use transition words like to conclude, in summary, overall, finally, therefore, similarly, however, also, likewise, in addition, despite, as well, instead, accordingly, while, and to clarify to create a flow and maintain the structure of the essay.

How to transition in a persuasive essay?

To transition in a persuasive essay, use clear linking phrases that connect ideas logically. Start new paragraphs with a sentence that relates to the previous one. Employ transitions like "furthermore," "however," or "consequently" to guide readers through your argument and maintain coherence.

How to transition into the conclusion in an argumentative essay?

To effectively transition into the conclusion, use transition words for conclusion, like to sum up or to wrap up, and rewrite the main arguments and provide the thesis in a new light, showing the importance of the provided arguments. Do not bring new points in your essay in the conclusion, as it can be confusing for the reader.

How do you signal your conclusion?

By including transition words before you start writing the conclusion, you can guide the reader about the beginning of the conclusion. Some of the transition words to signal conclusion are in conclusion, to summarize, finally, to conclude, and to sum up.

What is the role of transition words?

Transition words will create a flow and maintain the structure of the essay. With the use of transition words, the writer can develop a connection between two ideas in the essay. Further, it guides the reader about the upcoming viewpoint in an argumentative and persuasive essay.

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Written by Ashley Parker

PhD in Education, Stanford University

With more than ten years dedicated to educational studies and writing, Dr. Ashley Parker received her PhD from Stanford University. Through her inventive teaching practices, students get better at doing research and writing for all kinds of assignments.

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