Is it?

Okay, this one is from some of my Indian acquaintances, but does apply to Chinese as well. I find that people who have English as a second language frequently use the term "is it?" answer a question or keep the conversation going. There is a time that this phrase can be used correctly, but usually I find it used out of context. Here are some INCORRECT examples that I hear frequently:

Example #1:

• Person 1: "My dad called me today"
• Person 2: "Is it?"

Example #2:

• Person 1: "I heard that John really likes you"
• Person 2: "Is it?"

These examples usually spawn from a literal translation, when someone does not know the correct word to use. Then the bad habit stays and you continue to use it long after you are fluent in English. We have words that can be used for this purpose. They are called interjections. Some examples of interjections are:

• Really?
• Is that so?
• You don't say?

Chinese and other languages are grammatically more simple than English, and recycle some words to use interjections, such as "是嗎". This literally translates to "Is?" but English uses different words to create questions, for reasons which we will not discuss here.

CORRECTIONS TO ABOVE:

Example #1:

• Person 1: "My dad called me today"
• Person 2: "He did?"

Example #2:

• Person 1: "I heard that John really likes you"
• Person 2: "He does?"

The only time "is it?" can be used would be in response to when the pronoun "it" is used, or if the subject of the sentence is already known and the use of pronoun "it" is okay. Here are some more examples:

Example #1:

• Person 1: "It's going to be hot today!"
• Person 2: "Is it?"

Example #2:

• Person 1: "That insect is chewing on your shirt again."
• Person 2: "Is it?"