The double copula, also known as the reduplicative copula, double is or Isis, is the usage of two successive
copulae when only one is necessary, largely in
spoken English. For example:
:''My point is, is that...''
This construction is accepted by many English speakers in everyday speech, though some listeners interpret it as stumbling or hesitation, and others as a "really annoying language blunder".
Some
prescriptive guides do not accept this usage, but do accept a circumstance where "is" appears twice in sequence when the subject happens to end with a copula; for example:
:''What my point is is that...''
In the latter sentence, "What my point is" is a dependent
clause
In language, a clause is a constituent that comprises a semantic predicand (expressed or not) and a semantic predicate. A typical clause consists of a subject and a syntactic predicate, the latter typically a verb phrase composed of a verb with ...
, and functions as the subject; the second "is" is the main verb of the sentence. In the former sentence, "My point" is a complete subject, and requires only one "is" as the main verb of the sentence. Another example of grammatically valid use of "is is" is "All it is is a ..."
Some sources describe the usage after a dependent clause (the second example) as "non-standard" rather than generally correct.
Words other than "is"
The term ''double is'', though commonly used to describe this practice, is somewhat inaccurate, since other forms of the word (such as "was" and "were") can be used in the same manner:
:''The problem being, is that...''
According to the third edition of ''
Fowler's Modern English Usage
''A Dictionary of Modern English Usage'' (1926), by Henry Watson Fowler (1858–1933), is a style guide to British English usage, pronunciation, and writing. Covering topics such as plurals and literary technique, distinctions among like words ...
'' (as revised by
Robert Burchfield), the double copula originated around 1971 in the
United States and had spread to the
United Kingdom by 1987.
Explanations
The "double is" has been explained as an
intensifier
In linguistics, an intensifier (abbreviated ) is a lexical category (but ''not'' a traditional part of speech) for a modifier that makes no contribution to the propositional meaning of a clause but serves to enhance and give additional emotional co ...
or as a way to keep the
rhythm of the sentence.
Some commentators recommend against using it as a matter of style (not correctness of grammar), because some people find it awkward.
See also
*
Zero copula, omission of the copula in some languages or styles
*
Pro-drop languages such as Spanish, where
subject pronoun
In linguistics, a subject pronoun is a personal pronoun that is used as the subject of a verb. Subject pronouns are usually in the nominative case for languages with a nominative–accusative alignment pattern. On the other hand, a language with ...
s are often dropped and implied in their copulas
References
External links
Double "is"at alt-usage-{{Not a typo, english.org
The Reduplicative Copula ''Is Is''StackExchange thread with statistical chart of occurrences over time
English grammar