In short means “briefly”, “in a word” or “to put it simply”. It squeezes the details that have just been given into one idea. It fits both essays and speech, but it isn't a filler word to drop into a sentence at random: a summary always follows it.
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Details. In short, + one-sentence summary; clause; in short, + clause
- The trains were late, the museum was closed and it rained all day. In short, the trip was a disappointment.
- The new software is faster, cheaper and easier to learn; in short, it's worth switching.
- Remote workers skip the commute and can choose their own hours. In short, they have more freedom.
What changed
First versionThe hotel was dirty, the staff were rude and the Wi-Fi never worked. Shortly, it was a disaster.
RevisionThe hotel was dirty, the staff were rude and the Wi-Fi never worked. In short, it was a disaster.
Shortly looks like the adverb of short, so it is tempting to use it to mean “briefly”. But shortly means “soon”: shortly after lunch. For a summary you need the linker In short, and that is what replaced Shortly.
In conclusion only opens the last paragraph of an essay. In short can also appear in the middle of a text, to sum up one paragraph: The rent is high and the flats are tiny. In short, the city centre is not for students. In conversation, people often say the same with to cut a long story short, but in an essay this phrase sounds too casual.
Your turn
My landlord sent a long email about taxes, repairs and rising prices. ___, he wants more rent from next month.
Show the answer
In short — The long email about taxes, repairs and prices comes down to one idea: the landlord is raising the rent. A summary like this is introduced with In short. Shortly means “soon”, and a native speaker wouldn't use it to open a conclusion about an email.
Describe a purchase that went wrong. List two or three problems, then say in one sentence with In short what you think of it overall.
The shoes rubbed my feet, the colour faded after one wash and the shop refused to take them back. In short, they were a waste of money.
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