Double Is

The double "is", also known as the double copula, reduplicative copula, or Is-is, is the usage of the word "is" twice in a row (repeated copulae) when only one is necessary. Double is appears largely in spoken English, as in this example:

My point is, is that...

This construction is accepted by many English speakers in everyday speech, though some listeners interpret it as stumbling or hesitation, and others as "annoying".

Some prescriptive guides do not accept this usage, but do accept a circumstance where "is" appears twice in sequence when the subject happens to end with a copula; for example:

What my point is is that...

In the latter sentence, "What my point is" is a dependent clause, and functions as the subject; the second "is" is the main verb of the sentence. In the former sentence, "My point" is a complete subject, and requires only one "is" as the main verb of the sentence. Another use of "is is" is, "All it is is a ..."

Some sources describe the usage after a dependent clause (the second example) as "non-standard" rather than generally correct.