In closing

[Allen165]

"In closing we petition for the approval of...."

"In conclusion we petition for the approval of...."

Is there a difference between "in closing" and "in conlusion"? Are both possible in the above construction?

Thanks.

[billmcd]

Both are fine, but in written form throw a comma after "closing" and "conclusion".

[bertietheblue]

I think there is a difference.

In closing - you are bringing your words/speech to an end by writing/saying something that does not necessarily link to what went before. 'In closing, I would like to say a few words of gratitude to my new father-in-law ...'

In conclusion - you are summing up what went before, often by bringing the different strands of your thoughts or reasoning together into one neat summary. If opinions A, B and C are stated in their respective paragraphs, the final paragaph D - the conclusion - will bring together all these opinions, thereby giving the overall argument more force.

[tedtmc]

The other meaning of conclude (apart from summing up) is to 'close'. They mean the same thing in the context.

not a teacher