I.nounCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a surprise announcement/an unexpected announcement
▪ The Senator made the surprise announcement that he will not be seeking re-election.
a surprise attack
▪ We launched a surprise attack on their camp just before dawn.
a surprise party
▪ Amy has planned a surprise party for his birthday.
a surprise visit (=one that the person being visited does not know is going to happen)
▪ Naomi paid a surprise visit to an old school friend.
a surprised/shocked expression
▪ He didn’t need to speak – his shocked expression said it all.
a surprising/startling conclusion
▪ After years of research, he reached a startling conclusion.
a surprising/unexpected discovery
▪ Their work led to some surprising discoveries.
a yell of surprise/delight/triumph etc
▪ Dan gave a yell of delight when Larsson scored.
an expression of surprise (=one showing that you are surprised)
▪ He looked at me with an expression of surprise.
come as no surprise
▪ The news will come as no surprise to his colleagues.
complete surprise
▪ Their engagement came as a complete surprise to me.
express surprise/shock
▪ ‘I don’t believe he could hurt anyone,’ she said, expressing her surprise.
give/let out a yelp of pain/dismay/surprise etc
▪ The water was hotter than she had expected, and she gave an involuntary yelp.
greet the news with surprise/delight etcformal (= react to the news in a particular way)
▪ Fans greeted the news of the victory with a loud cheer.
happy/perfect/surprise etc ending
▪ a story with a happy ending
hardly surprising
▪ It’s hardly surprising that she won’t answer his calls after the way he’s treated her.
murmur of agreement/surprise/regret etc (=one that expresses a particular feeling)
▪ There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd.
nasty shock/surprise
▪ It gave me a nasty shock.
nice surprise
▪ What a nice surprise!
pleasant surprise
▪ Kate! What a pleasant surprise!
shocked surprise
▪ He smiled at Donna’s expression of shocked surprise.
surprised to learn
▪ She was surprised to learn that he was a lot older than she had thought.
yell (out) in surprise/pain etc
▪ Clare yelled in pain as she fell.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
big
▪ This was a big surprise to us, and indeed, in some respects rather embarrassing.
▪ But it was a big surprise to me and my family.
▪ The biggest surprise was he did not miss!
▪ That is one of the big surprises for many entrepreneurs.
▪ Qusay, 34, was the big surprise.
▪ Cal has been the biggest surprise.
▪ It had been a big surprise to the nomes.
▪ On that day I was ordered to close my eyes and await a big surprise.
complete
▪ His kiss was a complete surprise.
▪ Be prepared financially, so that the need for extra capital outlays does not come as a complete surprise.
▪ It took me by complete surprise.
▪ His visit home had been a complete surprise.
▪ This result came as a complete surprise to me and everyone else, and it was greeted with general disbelief.
▪ Yet it should not have been a complete surprise.
▪ The instruction to evacuate the buildings came as a complete surprise.
▪ Once in the palace the brother and his friend could trust to their own swords and the complete surprise of their attack.
full
▪ The desert is full of surprises.
▪ Her daughter was curious, inventive and full of surprises, Carol Coburn says.
▪ This one was full of reassuring surprises.
▪ For our family it was the gentlest of introductions to an island full of surprises.
▪ It was a walk full of surprises.
▪ The general chemistry of dithiadiazoles is full of surprises.
▪ The result is a mixed and discontinuous exhibition, full of surprises, but also a record of frustration and disappointment.
▪ It will be full of surprises and amazing special effects and is a treat not to be missed.
great
▪ Our conversation, to my great surprise, appeared to take a secondary place in his thoughts.
▪ This was no great surprise, or only a brief one.
▪ She pretended a greater surprise than she felt that the leader of those upon the bridle path was Lord Wyatt.
▪ To my great surprise, the television crews gathered round in order to interview me about my project.
▪ A.R. Did your experience at drama school come as a great surprise to you?
▪ As before, still-lifes offered the greatest surprises.
▪ It therefore comes as no great surprise that these systems are not easily linked up to talk to one another.
▪ The clutch of recent paperback thrillers was no great surprise to her.
little
▪ And here's another little surprise.
▪ Every once in a while, there are little surprises.
▪ She might never have ironed shirts, but she too had once upon a time brought Jacob little surprises, little presents.
▪ This was the little surprise he was keeping for the end.
▪ It was with a little fillip of surprise that Pascoe realized she hadn't recognized his voice.
▪ The problem was: What little surprise would I pull next?
▪ It is little surprise that legend and lore should have built up around it.
▪ And if coverage by the tabloids has missed some of the debate's subtleties, perhaps that is little surprise.
mock
▪ No wrong questions, no mock surprise.
▪ With mock surprise, he settled into the love seat, draping his arms along its top.
nasty
▪ But when you get hold of the document and look at the detail you're in for a nasty surprise.
▪ What further nasty surprises awaited me that day?
▪ Naturally, the tricky business of welding the Germanies together could still bring nasty surprises.
▪ Outside, all was danger and sudden, nasty surprises.
▪ There were rarely any nasty surprises.
nice
▪ On the other, it's full of not so nice surprises.
▪ What followed was a nice surprise.
▪ It was not the best car I've driven this year, but it was the biggest and nicest surprise.
▪ That would be a nice surprise.
▪ I might just do that; it would give him a nice surprise.
pleasant
▪ Your bank balance might be given a pleasant surprise.
▪ It may turn out to be a pleasant surprise or a not-so-pretty sight.
▪ This is a pleasant surprise, on two counts.
▪ It was a pleasant surprise to find a paperback edition of the Henkes book included in the package.
▪ But the main and most pleasant surprise was the sense of camaraderie among climbers in the Alps.
▪ In fact, the comfortable ride was our most pleasant surprise.
▪ Have the courage to show the world who you really are and you may be in for a pleasant surprise.
▪ It may come as a pleasant surprise that a few members of Congress are attempting to steer a drastically different course.
real
▪ That Hewlett-Packard Co is thought to be lining up for a piece of Taligent, should come as no real surprise.
▪ This goofy, affable, golden-retriever of a movie trots along offering modest pleasures and no real surprises.
▪ You will always be welcomed, but the real surprise is to see how beautifully most chapels are kept.
▪ As for the big categories, nobody expects any real surprises.
▪ It's a real surprise because we thought they'd split last year.
▪ The real surprise is that they played so badly down the stretch in both games and still managed to win.
▪ The ulcer was no real surprise.
▪ Spring always brings the real surprise, or rather horror, of the live fish retail industry.
unpleasant
▪ All this has come as an unpleasant surprise to Hong Kong's officials.
▪ Those who shorted McAfee, however, had an unpleasant surprise.
▪ Now she knew she was in for an unpleasant surprise.
▪ No crippling Whitewater developments or unpleasant October surprises appeared.
▪ This will reduce the possibility of unpleasant surprises.
▪ Party officials' in the towns the unpleasant surprise of losing jobs to which they had become all too comfortably accustomed.
▪ We may be in for an unpleasant surprise.
▪ Conversation with her was a series of small unpleasant surprises.
■ NOUN
announcement
▪ The philanthropic family's largesse was echoed by surprise announcements from both the Federal and provincial governments.
▪ But on Friday, Apple made a surprise announcement.
attack
▪ Speed of pursuit and a surprise attack gave Abram victory.
▪ In the surprise attack, they torched the town and rounded up its inhabitants.
▪ This would increase the warning time of any possible surprise attack.
▪ No world leader would try to launch a surprise attack because the response would be terminal for his own nation.
▪ His surprise attack routed the Chaos forces in the woods around the White Tower.
▪ That could provide clues about who was behind the surprise attack.
▪ It was also important to demonstrate the ability of nuclear forces to ride out a surprise attack.
▪ Officially you are all going to be victims of a surprise attack on the rescue party by the native inhabitants.
visit
▪ And a brilliant friend as he showed on a surprise visit to Abingdon.
▪ Naomi paid a surprise visit to her old school - London's Italia Conti acting academy.
■ VERB
catch
▪ He caught me by surprise and I sounded foolish.
▪ Welch and I had a rather heated exchange about the appropriateness of his editorial interference, which had caught me by surprise.
▪ Billy had caught him by surprise.
▪ The chill in the air caught me by surprise, a sharp mountain night breeze.
▪ He'd caught her by surprise, that was all.
▪ He dipped her, catching her by surprise, letting her drop backwards.
▪ So the two white girls standing in front of the mirrors are caught by surprise.
▪ They too were caught by surprise.
come
▪ All this has come as an unpleasant surprise to Hong Kong's officials.
▪ Her answer came as a surprise.
▪ The smile may have come as a surprise to connoisseurs of the pictures of him which have been issued to the world.
▪ Which should come as no surprise to anyone who has heard his songs.
▪ It came as no surprise to find that the local translator in Sochi had muddled up the names.
▪ None of this comes as a surprise.
▪ Today's developments came as no surprise to journalists at Coach and Bus Week.
▪ It certainly comes as a surprise or shock to hear some scholars cheering the decline in government and foundation money for research.
express
▪ Mancham expressed surprise at the results and called for a recount.
▪ He expressed surprise when he learned we were staying there because he thought it was so expensive.
▪ Pearce expressed surprise and said that this was the first he had heard of it.
▪ She expressed no surprise on learning that the second child was also a daughter.
▪ Otherwise, he'd never have expressed surprise at the news that he and Ixora were living together.
▪ Some people have expressed surprise at learning the U. S. Chamber of Commerce is taking such a keen interest in welfare reform.
▪ Afterwards, he expressed surprise that the Post Office had not been invited to send a representative.
▪ The band often finds a radio-ravaged fan after a show who expresses surprise and delight in the retro sound.
find
▪ To their surprise, they found that some schools had grown in number from one week to the next.
▪ To his surprise she was found to be partial to peas.
▪ It is no surprise to find that there are some who believe that history is about to repeat itself.
▪ It was a pleasant surprise to find a paperback edition of the Henkes book included in the package.
▪ To my surprise, I found I liked it.
▪ To her surprise, Alfreda found herself thinking about work at home and planning for the next day.
▪ It was a surprise to find the power to be mostly up high in the rev range.
▪ It came as no surprise to find that the local translator in Sochi had muddled up the names.
learn
▪ It is certainly no surprise to learn that it is not a cure for all cancers.
▪ He expressed surprise when he learned we were staying there because he thought it was so expensive.
▪ It's no surprise to learn that she numbers among her ancestors the Brothers Grimm.
▪ She expressed no surprise on learning that the second child was also a daughter.
▪ It comes as no surprise to learn that he was trained in Vienna in the Maulbertsch workshop.
▪ Some people have expressed surprise at learning the U. S. Chamber of Commerce is taking such a keen interest in welfare reform.
▪ It is no surprise to learn that an art dealer has closed down.
▪ One also will get surprises by learning a foreign language.
look
▪ I looked at her in surprise.
▪ She looked up in surprise as he walked in, and then smiled hesitantly.
▪ She came to a halt and Fenn looked up in surprise.
▪ Frank looked up in surprise when Matron walked in.
▪ At the same time a gentle bell sounded, causing both men to look round in surprise.
▪ Constance thought, looking in surprise at this woman who seemed so radiant with health.
▪ She turns to look at him in surprise.
show
▪ Better to be casual and try to show no surprise.
▪ But he shows no sign of surprise.
▪ And a brilliant friend as he showed on a surprise visit to Abingdon.
▪ He showed no surprise at seeing me.
▪ He shows no surprise that Fairfax has come to pay his respects after nearly fifty years.
▪ Neither Mama nor Dad showed the slightest surprise or resentment toward the doctor.
▪ The boys show no surprise, hesitation, confusion - they merely laugh and confer as to how to attack them.
▪ When Meese handed North the memorandum, he at first showed no surprise.
spring
▪ Calvin Smith, the world-record holder, could always spring a surprise.
▪ Perhaps they will spring a surprise player or two in Atlanta.
▪ And she can spring a surprise.
▪ Theo distracted him from this gloomy conclusion by springing a surprise on him.
▪ And even when you think you know the island intimately, it will keep on springing surprises.
▪ And they can spring some surprises.
▪ Glasser orders his events thematically, while also wanting to tell a story and to spring surprises.
take
▪ What happened next took Madeleine completely by surprise.
▪ But it took many by surprise, those who still imagined that women only loved; whereas men lusted.
▪ The transition was so abrupt that it took her by surprise.
▪ How could anyone be taken by surprise by a flight of Hueys?
▪ His deep voice took Romanov by surprise.
▪ I kept my hands folded on my desk. Take the enemy by surprise.
▪ What took her by surprise was her own response to the priest himself.
▪ But each time it was a sudden sortie and took Trondur by surprise so he was not ready to spear them.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
beat/surprise/scare the hell out of sb
▪ And I said, beats the hell out of me.
▪ Eddie knows this, and it scares the hell out of her.
▪ It scared the hell out of me.
▪ Just to make the move scared the hell out of me.
▪ Statistics like that scare the hell out of me, and they must scare a lot of CEOs too.
▪ There is no stopping planned randomness, and that scares the hell out of us.
▪ Today, he scares the hell out of a lot of Republicans.
▪ Tornadoes are not fascinating to me; they scare the hell out of me.
catch sb by surprise, catch sb off guard, catch sb napping/unawares
▪ My pregnancy caught us by surprise, but we're happy about it.
▪ The public's reaction obviously caught the governor off guard.
color me surprised/confused/embarrassed etc
come as a surprise/relief/blow etc (to sb)
▪ And this might come as a surprise to our brethren in the popular national press - Thirty-eight.
▪ Buller's Hill House came as a surprise.
▪ Her answer came as a surprise.
▪ It comes as a surprise to find him boasting of his prowess as a rioter.
▪ Nevertheless, he said the sharp drop in the book-to-bill came as a surprise.
▪ Nor should it come as a surprise that these rules frequently get S corporation owners into trouble.
▪ So it comes as a surprise to discover that this is not always the case.
▪ This should not come as a surprise to people who are free.
element of surprise/truth/risk/doubt etc
▪ I like the element of risk.
▪ If Weaver had been watching as Liz Spalding had been smuggled into the house, then the element of surprise was lost.
▪ It contains a major element of truth, even if it is not precisely the truth which its originators intended.
▪ The element of risk gave it an added excitement.
▪ There is an element of truth in all of these.
▪ There were elements of truth in this critique, Jim supposed.
▪ Web browsers, once limited to displaying text and graphics and downloading files, have created an entirely new element of risk.
▪ What I do is count on the element of surprise.
mock surprise/horror/indignation etc
▪ No wrong questions, no mock surprise.
▪ She threw up her hands in mock horror as the little pomeranian ran yapping among the guests.
▪ With mock surprise, he settled into the love seat, draping his arms along its top.
much to sb's surprise/embarrassment etc
▪ A week later, much to my surprise, I was told my order must be changed.
▪ And much to everyone's surprise he won it.
▪ And he was still sober, much to her surprise.
▪ But he has written a steamy thriller, much to the surprise of his conservative minions.
▪ Pitsligo died there in 1767, head, much to his surprise, still firmly attached to his unrepentant shoulders.
▪ So now he is clubbed to death instead, much to the surprise of the audience.
▪ Those questions were asked in front of a packed gymnasium, much to the Surprise of the state officials who attended.
something of a shock/surprise etc
▪ At the time it came as something of a shock.
▪ But perhaps in a way that will be something of a surprise.
▪ It must have been something of a shock to her system.
▪ It was something of a shock to him to realize how fond of the little boy he had become.
▪ Some of their views came as something of a surprise.
▪ Suddenly she has time to think of herself, and this may be something of a shock.
▪ That she was shocked came as something of a shock to me, too.
▪ The feel of his strong fingers enclosing her small palm came as something of a shock to her system.
spring a surprise
▪ And even when you think you know the island intimately, it will keep on springing surprises.
▪ And she can spring a surprise.
▪ Calvin Smith, the world-record holder, could always spring a surprise.
▪ Glasser orders his events thematically, while also wanting to tell a story and to spring surprises.
▪ Perhaps they will spring a surprise player or two in Atlanta.
▪ Theo distracted him from this gloomy conclusion by springing a surprise on him.
the shock/surprise/game etc of sb's life
▪ And so that would be the surprise of her life.
▪ But on Sunday Collins played the game of his life in destroying the fancied Vikings.
▪ Goalie Garth Snow played the game of his life to save Philly.
▪ He had arrived before the others, and got the shock of his life when he saw Nails.
▪ He said he was the security guard, but he had the shock of his life when he saw me.
▪ She is having the game of her life.
▪ So when he followed up by pointing us towards the touchline, I got the shock of my life.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Hal! What a surprise to see you here.
▪ I've got a little surprise waiting for you at home.
▪ I expressed some surprise at the elaborate welcome which had been prepared for me.
▪ Sam stared at his girlfriend in surprise. "What are you doing here?'' he asked.
▪ To everyone's complete surprise, the Labour Party lost the election.
▪ You can imagine my surprise when I saw my sister's photograph on a magazine cover.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ And I've always liked to be ready for surprises, especially the lethal sort.
▪ But in a surprise move Short and Kasparov snubbed the ruling body and rejected the offer.
▪ He rolled back the leather covering and heard Selkirk's gasp of surprise.
▪ Many readers expressed surprise at the findings, but I was not among them.
▪ Normally she was animated - laughing, frowning, grimacing, registering surprise or scepticism or compassion.
▪ Police had been taken by surprise as fifteen thousand travellers converged on the area.
▪ This came as no surprise to Dee Dee, our all-purpose advice columnist, who has long suspected the link.
▪ To my surprise he said I might.
II.verbCOLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
hardly
▪ It is hardly surprising that collections of such photographs hold great personal importance.
▪ That San Francisco has become the battleground for this fight is hardly surprising.
▪ That is hardly surprising: the Pentagon has told both firms that it would tolerate closer ties but no full merger.
▪ This is hardly surprising since half of them work most evenings and a third work most weekends.
▪ And it is hardly surprising that she did not think of tongue speaking as a possible exception.
▪ This is hardly surprising: the two most carcinogenic compounds ever detected are produced by diesel engines.
▪ It is hardly surprising that it is beginning to go missing.
pleasantly
▪ But I was pleasantly surprised by the tips.
▪ The gregarious, silver-haired Dodd has himself been pleasantly surprised by his year-and-a-bit as chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
▪ Boehlert, who was ignored when he told them the same thing last year, was pleasantly surprised by the quick action.
▪ We put eight to a blind taste test and were pleasantly surprised.
■ NOUN
people
▪ Tests can often surprise people by uncovering unrealised gifts or simply confirming perceived talents.
▪ Which is why it always surprises me when people turn out to be such bad listeners.
▪ You be surprised what people want in the casket with them.
▪ Little evidence exists to indicate that tests help teachers; however this sad fact may not surprise many people.
▪ It lacked co-ordination and Morrissey's ability to surprise people with words, seemed strangely lacking.
▪ The intensity and urgency of Galway's hurling in the semi-final win over Tipperary surprised most people.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
beat/surprise/scare the hell out of sb
▪ And I said, beats the hell out of me.
▪ Eddie knows this, and it scares the hell out of her.
▪ It scared the hell out of me.
▪ Just to make the move scared the hell out of me.
▪ Statistics like that scare the hell out of me, and they must scare a lot of CEOs too.
▪ There is no stopping planned randomness, and that scares the hell out of us.
▪ Today, he scares the hell out of a lot of Republicans.
▪ Tornadoes are not fascinating to me; they scare the hell out of me.
element of surprise/truth/risk/doubt etc
▪ I like the element of risk.
▪ If Weaver had been watching as Liz Spalding had been smuggled into the house, then the element of surprise was lost.
▪ It contains a major element of truth, even if it is not precisely the truth which its originators intended.
▪ The element of risk gave it an added excitement.
▪ There is an element of truth in all of these.
▪ There were elements of truth in this critique, Jim supposed.
▪ Web browsers, once limited to displaying text and graphics and downloading files, have created an entirely new element of risk.
▪ What I do is count on the element of surprise.
mock surprise/horror/indignation etc
▪ No wrong questions, no mock surprise.
▪ She threw up her hands in mock horror as the little pomeranian ran yapping among the guests.
▪ With mock surprise, he settled into the love seat, draping his arms along its top.
much to sb's surprise/embarrassment etc
▪ A week later, much to my surprise, I was told my order must be changed.
▪ And much to everyone's surprise he won it.
▪ And he was still sober, much to her surprise.
▪ But he has written a steamy thriller, much to the surprise of his conservative minions.
▪ Pitsligo died there in 1767, head, much to his surprise, still firmly attached to his unrepentant shoulders.
▪ So now he is clubbed to death instead, much to the surprise of the audience.
▪ Those questions were asked in front of a packed gymnasium, much to the Surprise of the state officials who attended.
something of a shock/surprise etc
▪ At the time it came as something of a shock.
▪ But perhaps in a way that will be something of a surprise.
▪ It must have been something of a shock to her system.
▪ It was something of a shock to him to realize how fond of the little boy he had become.
▪ Some of their views came as something of a surprise.
▪ Suddenly she has time to think of herself, and this may be something of a shock.
▪ That she was shocked came as something of a shock to me, too.
▪ The feel of his strong fingers enclosing her small palm came as something of a shock to her system.
surprised/angry/pleased etc isn't the word for it
the shock/surprise/game etc of sb's life
▪ And so that would be the surprise of her life.
▪ But on Sunday Collins played the game of his life in destroying the fancied Vikings.
▪ Goalie Garth Snow played the game of his life to save Philly.
▪ He had arrived before the others, and got the shock of his life when he saw Nails.
▪ He said he was the security guard, but he had the shock of his life when he saw me.
▪ She is having the game of her life.
▪ So when he followed up by pointing us towards the touchline, I got the shock of my life.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Diana's reaction surprised him - he hadn't realized that she was so upset.
▪ I have to say, it surprises me that they haven't gone bankrupt before now.
▪ It was the tone of his voice that surprised me.
▪ Police surprised Dyer in the parking lot of the building where he worked.
▪ The exam was actually quite easy, which surprised me.
▪ The report's conclusions have surprised many analysts.
▪ What surprised me most was how cheap everything was compared to at home.
▪ Why don't you just have a go at skiing? You might surprise yourself.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ I felt a sharp stab of disappointment and was surprised and angry at myself.
▪ The extent of her stepmother's generosity surprised her.
▪ The urgency of desire surprised him.