student asking question

Why would the speaker say "little" here? Doesn't the word "boy" already indicate an under-aged man?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

That is correct! However, "little" is often added before "boy" and "girl" as a term of endearment, or to indicate that the child being spoken about is quite young (pre-teen or younger). In this video, the speaker has likely used it to emphasize how big the change in the man is (as he used to be a "shy little boy" but now he is a grown man). Ex: I wanted to be a ballerina when I was a little girl. Ex: My brother used to cling to me as a little boy, but now he is over six feet tall and rarely talks. How times change!

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