We can use a few different sentence patterns with the word surprised. Remember that the “be verb” changes the tense of the sentence (present tense, past tense future tense, etc.).
Subject + be verb + surprised (that) + sentence
- I am surprised that you came!
- I am surprised that I am good at this game. I am usually terrible at games.
- He was surprised that you didn’t hit him. You were so angry.
- The children were surprised their teacher didn’t punish them.
- Mark will be surprised that we finished everything without him.
Subject + be verb + surprised by + noun…
- I was surprised by my test score.
(=My test score surprised me.) - She was surprised by your response.
(=Your response surprised her.)
We often use noun clauses here as well.
- I am surprised by how kind everybody is here.
- She was surprised by what you said.
- They were surprised by how many dogs you have.
Subject + be verb + surprised at + noun/noun clause…
This is the same at “surprised by…”.
- I am surprised at you. How could you do such a thing?
- She was surprised at how little you talk.
- You will be surprised at how nice the house looks now!
Subject + be verb + surprised + infinitive…
We can only use this pattern when the subject of the sentence is doing the action.
- I was surprised to hear you say that.
- He was surprised to see me.
- They will be surprised to hear that.
Bonus Tips and Points
1. We can make negative sentences by using “be verb + not surprised”.
- I am not surprised that she won the contest.
- They were not surprised that I didn’t come.
- She wasn’t surprised by the news.
- He was not surprised to hear you say that.
2. We can also use the verb form – to surprise.
- He surprised me when he came in the room.
- My test score surprised me.
- The news surprised everybody.
3. We can use similar words like “shocked”, “stunned”, or “amazed” instead of “surprised”.
- I am shocked that they won.
- She was stunned by the news.
- He is amazed by how nice everybody has treated him.
Real-World English Conversations
A) I am surprised that you made it on time. I heard traffic is bad today.
B) Actually, I left a little earlier than normal.
A) I was surprised by how much your son ate.
B) Young kids eat a lot because they are growing.
A) She was surprised by how expensive everything was at the store.
B) Hasn’t she been there before? That store is crazy expensive.
A) Somebody told me he was quiet. I was surprised by how much he talked today.
B) He is not quiet. Somebody told you some wrong information.
A) Were you surprised by what she said?
B) No. I expected it.
A) I was surprised to see you at the party.
B) Why is that?
A) Because you usually don’t come to any parties.
B) I promised Sally that I would come, so I had to go.
Use these free English lessons to learn the most common sentence patterns in the English language. If you learn these sentences and questions, it will help you speak English well. Study the lessons thoroughly, practice making your own sentences, and come back to review often. If you do these three steps, your English speaking will improve quickly and you will be able to have natural English conversations.
English Sentence Patterns for Speaking Index
