Monday, January 30, 2017

ellipsis - What's the grammar of "You kiss me tomorrow, I'll bite you face off!"?


"Zootopia" around 00:23:37/01:48:32


There is a YouTube clip (by the way, is "clip" an appropriate word?):



Nick Wilde: Hey, no kiss bye-bye for daddy?
Finnick: You kiss me tomorrow, I'll bite your face off!




Question: Is "You kiss me tomorrow" subjunctive?
Does it mean "If you kiss me tomorrow"? Then why is "if" missing?
And what does "I'll" stand for? Is it "I would"?



Answer



The future simple "will" (I'll = I will) is used in English for making promises and threats.



I will sue you (threat)
I'll be careful (promise)




Finnick, the fennec fox, is threatening to hurt Nick Wilde, if the red fox kisses him the next day.


The subordinate clause in the Zootopia exchange is “You kiss me tomorrow”, by removing the "if" in the protasis, the speaker is warning Finnick that his face will be bitten off is a certainty not a probability.



I"ll bite your face off



I'll bite your face off is the main clause, it is the CONSEQUENCE based on the condition that Nick kisses Finnick.


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