Is there a difference between "in summary" & "in total"?

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drinkslow
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Is there a difference between "in summary" & "in total"?

Post by drinkslow »

Is there a difference between these two? :) in total & in summary... Thanks! {-: {-: {-:
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Joe
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Re: Is there a difference between "in summary" & "in total"?

Post by Joe »

Yes. They COULD mean the same in certain hard to imagine contexts but normally they are not the same.

"In summary" is a brief statement that says in brief what the previous passage was about.

The doctor advised against it. The priest wasn't sure but thought it was probably a bad idea. The police did not allow it. In summary, nobody agreed to it.

"In total" does an arithmetical calculation and says what the previous numbers add up to.

There were two red cars, three white cars, four tucks and a van (in total ten vehicles).
"We are not wholly bad or good, who live our lives under Milk Wood :-| " — Dylan Thomas, Under Milk Wood

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