student asking question

What does "it sure is" mean? and shouldn't it be "It is sure"? How's the nuance different?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"It sure is" means that you agree that something certainly or surely is some way. "Sure" here is used as an adverb to describe "is", so "sure" comes before "is" in this case. Since the verb "is" is directly being described by the adverb "sure", this emphasizes that a previous point is being reaffirmed or restated to be true. Ex: A: Isn't it nice today? B: It sure is! If you were to instead say, "it is sure", this changes "sure" from an adverb to an adjective. "Sure" in this case would still be describing "it", but not directly, so it wouldn't imply agreement towards a previous point that was made. Instead, it would just mean that something is certain. However, most people wouldn't say, "it is sure", and would instead say "it is certain" or "I am sure". Ex: A: How likely is it that you'll get into Harvard? B: It is certain. Ex: A: Are you sure you want to go to this restaurant? B: I'm sure.

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