What is a Clincher Statement?
WHITNEY ARANA
VOCAB
An important part of academic writing, the clincher statement resolves whatever questions or claims were previously put forth. As a paragraph is a comprehensive chunk of writing that deals with one total idea, each paragraph should conclude with its own clincher statement.
1 Etymology
The compound noun, "clincher statement," comes from the word "clinch," which means to "settle an argument" or "finalize a deal."
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2 What does it do?
The clincher statement restates the topic sentence of a paragraph but treats the claim as a confirmation rather than as a hypothesis.
3 Where does it go?
In academic writing, each paragraph begins with a topic sentence, which tells the reader what that particular paragraph will discuss. The body of the paragraph offers some proof or evidence for the statement put forth in the topic sentence. The final sentence is the clincher statement. Each paragraph should end with a clincher statement.
4 Example
Topic sentence: New York is an exciting city.
Body of Evidence: New York City has a population of more than 8 million people with a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds plus a massive tourist draw, attracting visitors from all over the world. Furthermore, there are numerous museums, attractions, restaurants and bars.
Clincher statement: It is clear from the infinite variety of entertainment offerings that New York City is an exciting place.
5 Example 2
Topic Sentence: Pets help combat depression.
Body of Evidence: Pets reduce loneliness by providing companionship and forcing their owners outdoors and out of isolation. When at home, they act as silent confidants. Pets offer loving affection and unwavering devotion to their owners. Plus, an unselfconscious, playful pet can be quite comical at times.
Clincher statement: With their unconditional affection, pets can be hugely helpful in fighting depression.
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