<p>Yes, it's rhetorical effect.</p>
<ul>
<li>「不是」commonly means &quot;be not&quot;, as in sentence</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
<p>「这个苹果<strong>不是</strong>我的。」(This apple <strong>is not</strong> mine).</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This type of「不是」 is considered as the opposite of 「是」.</p>
<ul>
<li>But in you example sentence,</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
<p>「你家里<strong>不是</strong>已经有几个钟了吗？」</p>
</blockquote>
<p>「不是」does not mean the opposite of 「是」. This sentence can be reworded to</p>
<blockquote>
<p>你家里已经有几个钟了，<strong>不是</strong>吗？(You already have several clocks at home, don't you?)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You may consider this type of「不是」as a primitive word. It is used for emphasis/rhetorical effect as you have guessed.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-12T13:27:19.967Z
2023-11-12T13:40:53.050Z
2023-11-12T13:40:53.050Z
wwc936
<p>I'm reading a short narrative about someone who bought a big clock, much to the surprise of his roommate. The roommate asks him: “你家里不是已经有几个钟了吗？”</p>
<p>I'm not exactly sure why this construction is grammatical because of the 不是. My best guess is that this is used for emphasis/rhetorical effect, but I'm not positive. Is this the case?</p>

<grammar>
Why is this sentence grammatical without 的?
# Why is this sentence grammatical without 的?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-11-12)

I'm reading a short narrative about someone who bought a big clock, much to the surprise of his roommate. The roommate asks him: “你家里不是已经有几个钟了吗？”

I'm not exactly sure why this construction is grammatical because of the 不是. My best guess is that this is used for emphasis/rhetorical effect, but I'm not positive. Is this the case?

**Tags:** grammar


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2023-11-12. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

Yes, it's rhetorical effect.

* 「不是」commonly means "be not", as in sentence

> 「这个苹果**不是**我的。」(This apple **is not** mine).

This type of「不是」 is considered as the opposite of 「是」.

* But in you example sentence,

> 「你家里**不是**已经有几个钟了吗？」

「不是」does not mean the opposite of 「是」. This sentence can be reworded to

> 你家里已经有几个钟了，**不是**吗？(You already have several clocks at home, don't you?)

You may consider this type of「不是」as a primitive word. It is used for emphasis/rhetorical effect as you have guessed.


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