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In the book Story Genius by Lisa Cron we read:

Even if she's only six, she already has a worldview that, like most of us, she's never even questioned—why should she? As far as she can see it's "just the way things are." Boy, is she in for a rude awakening. [...]

(Yes, punctuation's been double-checked)

My question, of course, pertains to 'is she in'. How does this inversion find its explanation?

I guess it falls in what's taken as an informal register, but still I don't know if it's the matter of putting more stress on specific words or something else (intonation...?)

I would appreciate more examples like this from your smart linguistic heads and a word of explanation!

Laurel
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Lux
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2 Answers2

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It is a form of exclamation.

Boy, is it ever hot and humid today!

Boy, is it hot today!

There's an underlying almost imperceptible question: "Wouldn't you agree?"

On the semantic level it's probably a close cousin to

Hot enough for you!?

TimR
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It's a statement, rather than a question, as the wording may seem to suggest. She is in for a rude awakening. It's a common way to say it with a hint of sarcasm, because of course they aren't asking, they are saying. Like, "Boy, am I hungry nom nom nom".

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  • I don't think I need to reference common sayings like 'boy am i hungry' –  Aug 16 '23 at 13:59
  • Any internet search will shows plenty of examples, there's even a tiktok trend that shows up –  Aug 16 '23 at 14:07