Why We Say “...and Stuff”

Key points

General extenders like “and stuff” are used to indicate a broader, shared set of related ideas.

They help conversations flow by avoiding unnecessary detail.

Using them signals closeness by relying on shared knowledge.

Whether it’s British, Irish, American, or Singaporean English, little sentence-ending tack-ons like “…and stuff,” “…and all that,” “…and things,” or “…and whatnot” seem to be everywhere these days.

Linguists find that these type of sentence extenders are used across all sorts of world Englishes from the “and that” form more common in New Zealand and Britain to the “…and whatever” or “and stuff” increasingly heard in North America. Such widespread use suggests they must be pretty important to the points we want to get across despite what, on the surface, is inc