student asking question

Why does "about" put in the middle of the sentence? What does "just about" mean?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"Just about" is actually an informal expression meaning "nearly," "almost," or "exactly." You can understand this sentence as meaning, "John was almost/nearly the happiest boy in the world." Ex: A: Are you done your assignment? B: I'm just about (nearly) finished. Ex: Alex is smart and good at sports. He can do just about (nearly) everything.

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