In a nutshell means in very few words, giving only the main point. The image is of a whole idea fitting inside the small shell of a nut. The idiom is informal. It sounds natural in IELTS Speaking and in a message to a colleague, but in an IELTS essay write In short or In summary instead.
When would you say in a nutshell?
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In a nutshell, + clause; to put it in a nutshell; that's + noun + in a nutshell
- In a nutshell, the new manager wants fewer meetings and faster decisions.
- So that's our plan in a nutshell: we move to the new office in May.
- Could you explain your research in a nutshell? I've only got two minutes.
What changed
First versionIn two words, the project failed because we ran out of money.
RevisionIn a nutshell, the project failed because we ran out of money.
In two words sounds as if the speaker is about to say exactly two words. To give the main point briefly, English uses in a nutshell or in short. Only this phrase has changed.
In short means the same but sounds more neutral, so it also works in writing: In short, the plan worked. In a nutshell is livelier and more common in speech. You can also put the idiom at the end when you sum up: That's the whole story in a nutshell.
Your turn
The report is forty pages long, but ___, it says we need to hire more staff.
Show the answer
in a nutshell — The report is long, and after but comes its one main idea, so in a nutshell fits. In detail means thoroughly: you can't retell forty pages in detail in half a sentence, and but would lose its point.
A friend asks how your first month at a new job or place of study went. Answer in one sentence with in a nutshell: name one thing you like and one thing that bothers you.
In a nutshell, I love my new team, but the long commute is exhausting.
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