What is the purpose of an ending tag?

Simply to use the start tag and add a "/" before the tag name like the following:

If you are making a link:

... will be the appropriate ending tag.

Working with tables?

So simply add a slash "/" in front of the tag to end it.

There are certain stand-alone tags like the break/return tag and image tag, which are slightly different. Image tag <img> does NOT need an ending tag, and the
doesn't either.