surprise vs. astonish vs. amaze
Дата публикации: Mar 24, 2016 4:30:3 AM
surprise startle amaze stun astonish take somebody aback astound
These words all mean to make somebody feel surprised.
surprise to give somebody the feeling that you get when something happens that you do not expect or do not understand, or something that you do expect does not happen; to make somebody feel surprised:
The outcome didn’t surprise me at all.
startle to surprise somebody suddenly in a way that slightly shocks or frightens them:
Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.
The explosion startled the horse.
amaze to surprise somebody very much:
Just the huge size of the place amazed her.
stun (rather informal) (often in newspapers) to surprise or shock somebody so much that they cannot think clearly or speak
astonish to surprise somebody very much:
The news astonished everyone.
amaze or astonish?
These two words have the same meaning and in most cases you can use either. If you are talking about something that both surprises you and makes you feel ashamed, use astonish:
He was astonished by his own stupidity.
take somebody aback [usually passive] (especially of something negative) to surprise or shock somebody:
We were rather taken aback by her hostile reaction.
astound to surprise or shock somebody very much:
His arrogance astounded her.
Patterns
It surprises somebody/startles somebody/amazes somebody/stuns somebody/astonishes somebody/takes somebody aback/astounds somebody
to surprise/startle/amaze/stun/astonish/astound somebody that…
to surprise/amaze somebody what/how…
to surprise/startle/amaze/stun/astonish/astound somebody to know/find/learn/see/hear…
to be surprised/startled/stunned into (doing) something
... the quick eyes would have been amazed at...
to amaze vt - поражать, изумлять, удивлять
Syn: to surprise, to astonish. The three verbs differ in degree.
To surprise is the general term. It means to impress somebody unexpectedly.
Their gift greatly surprised and pleased her. Их подарок очень удивил и обрадовал ее.
То astonish is to surprise as greatly and suddenly as to seem incredible.
He astonished his friends by his sudden departure. Он чрезвычайно удивил своих друзей внезапным отъездом.
То amaze, though it carries the idea of great astonishment, stresses rather bewilderment, perplexity, or wonder.
I was amazed at the breadth of their interests. Я была поражена широтой их интересов.
All three verbs are commonly used in passive constructions followed by an infinitive or a prepositional object (generally with the preposition at).
I was not at all surprised to hear her answer. I knew her only too well. Я совсем не удивилась, услышав ее ответ. Я ее слишком хорошо знала.
We were surprised at finding the house empty. Мы удивились, обнаружив, что в доме никого не было.
I was astonished to discover that what he had told me was a lie. Я был изумлен, обнаружив, что то, что он сказал мне, было неправдой.
I am amazed at his outrageous behaviour. He has always been such a quiet young fellow. Я поражена (не знаю, что и думать) его возмутительным поведением. Он всегда был таким спокойным.
Thus, we are surprised at what is unexpected, astonished when we find it hard to believe, and amazed when we are struck by something so strange, unusual that we cannot (of do not want to) believe it.
Note the nouns and adjectives corresponding to the verbs: surprise n - surprising a; astonishment n - astonishing a; amazement n - amazing a.
quick eye острый/зоркий глаз, наблюдательность
surprise noun BrE /səˈpraɪz/ ; NAmE /sərˈpraɪz/
astonish verb BrE /əˈstɒnɪʃ/ ; NAmE /əˈstɑːnɪʃ/
amaze verb BrE /əˈmeɪz/ ; NAmE /əˈmeɪz/
+
astound verb BrE /əˈstaʊnd/ ; NAmE /əˈstaʊnd/
stun verb BrE /stʌn/ ; NAmE /stʌn
+
flabbergasted adjective BrE /ˈflæbəɡɑːstɪd/ ; NAmE /ˈflæbərɡæstɪd/ -
[not usually before noun](informal)
extremely surprised and/or shocked
synonym astonished
Friends were flabbergasted by the news that they’d split up.
She was too flabbergasted to speak.
~ актер индийского кино, челюсть отвисла, с-эго-ориентированная реакция.