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Why is "is all" add way behind the sentence and what meaning does it convey?
I just have a couple of questions, is all.
Why is "is all" add way behind the sentence and what meaning does it convey?
Please help me!
Thanks!
Jun 17, 2015 11:29 PM
Answers · 3
2
It is sloppy, colloquial English and I don't think it is grammatically correct.
"I have a couple of questions" means "I have two questions" or "I have a very small number of questions."
Adding "just"--"I just have a couple of questions"--adds the idea that it is a small request, a reasonable request.
Adding "is all" at the end intensifies this. It stresses how very little the speaker is asking for.
I THINK it is a shortening of something like this:
"I have a couple of questions, and that is all."
Let me give you a usage example. Imagine somebody asking for a loan.
"Can you lend me a couple of dollars?" (I want two dollars).
"Can you just lend me a couple of dollars?" (I want two dollars, that isn't very much to ask for).
"Can you just lend me a couple of dollars, is all? (I want two dollars, only two little dollars, that's not very much to ask for, I'm not asking for any more than that).
June 18, 2015
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Anotherworld
Language Skills
English, Korean
Learning Language
English
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