10-second review: A number of methods for ending an article effectively.
Quote: “One of the best ways to end is to use a top-notch illustration, which has been saved for that purpose. If it is to be a humorous, entertainment piece, leave the reader with the biggest chuckle of the whole thing. If it is biography, end with an anecdote, or dramatized incident, or perhaps a quote about, or by, your subject—one which beautifully sums up the point you have made about him.
“If it’s an idea piece, especially if it is a crusade article aimed to get the reader to act, sum up the reasons why he should act, or exactly what he should do about the situation. Do you want him to report to a clinic for a checkup? Write his senators? Adopt safer rules for driving? …. Let your parting words be specific.
“If it is a fact article, stop when you have laid out your facts, when you have said what you wanted to say.”
Comment: Quotes like these from The Writer magazine and Writer’s Digest will be helpful to students in your high school writing classes. They are written in plain English. RayS.
Title: “An Article Is Like a Sideshow.” Helen Doss. November 1958. In The Writer’s Guide to Good Writing, Ed. T Clark, et al., 1994, pp. 128-133.
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