surprise

«surprise» in Mova's school dictionary: something you did not expect, such as a present or a… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (a surprise, surprises; surprise, uncountable); verb (surprise, surprises, surprised, surprising); adjective forms surprised, surprising

meaning for a pupil

1) A surprise is something you did not expect, such as a present or a sudden event. tree →

2) Surprise is the feeling you have when something unexpected happens. tree →

3) To surprise someone means to do something they did not expect, often to make them happy. tree →

4) A surprise party or gift is kept secret until the moment it is given. tree →

sense in the lessons

In stories surprise tells the reader that something unexpected happens; a character may gasp or open their eyes wide. In science a surprising result is one you did not predict, which makes you check and think again. In everyday life there are surprise parties, surprise visits and surprise tests. Phrases: to my surprise, take someone by surprise, surprise party, what a surprise.

examples

• What a lovely surprise! Thank you for the flowers. tree →
• We are planning a surprise party for Mum's birthday. tree →
• To my surprise, the little seed grew into a huge sunflower. tree →
• The snow in spring took everyone by surprise. tree →
• Grandma surprised us by coming to visit without telling anyone. tree →
• I was surprised to see a hedgehog in the garden. tree →
• The result of the experiment was surprising, so we tested it again. tree →
• Don't jump out to surprise someone on the stairs; they might fall. tree →
• Jack uttered a cry of surprise. tree →

note

Spelling trap: surprise has an «r» after the «u» (sur-prise), not «suprise». «Surprised» is how you feel; «surprising» is the thing that causes the feeling («I was surprised; the news was surprising»). A good surprise is kept secret, but a secret that makes you feel unsafe is not a surprise and should be told to a trusted adult.

In the corpora

• Good secrets are about timing, like a surprise party that ends in a happy moment.
• A surprise is a happy secret that will be shared soon, and everyone is glad when it comes out.
• Rewatching a scary film often makes it less scary, because you know what is coming and your body stops being surprised.
• Three clues, one happy answer: a surprise is being planned, and it is kinder not to go looking for it.
• Dogs and cats share our homes, so we think we know their minds, but scientists keep finding surprises with careful tests.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «surprise» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.