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# 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/surprise/#m1)

2) Surprise is the feeling you have when something unexpected happens. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/surprise/#m2)

3) To surprise someone means to do something they did not expect, often to make them happy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/surprise/#m3)

4) A surprise party or gift is kept secret until the moment it is given. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/surprise/#m4)

### 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/surprise/#x1)
- We are planning a surprise party for Mum's birthday. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/surprise/#x2)
- To my surprise, the little seed grew into a huge sunflower. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/surprise/#x3)
- The snow in spring took everyone by surprise. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/surprise/#x4)
- Grandma surprised us by coming to visit without telling anyone. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/surprise/#x5)
- I was surprised to see a hedgehog in the garden. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/surprise/#x6)
- The result of the experiment was surprising, so we tested it again. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/surprise/#x7)
- Don't jump out to surprise someone on the stairs; they might fall. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/surprise/#x8)
- Jack uttered a cry of surprise. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/surprise/#x9)

### 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.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/35-closed-doors-whispers-and-secrets/6/)
- [A surprise is a happy secret that will be shared soon, and everyone is glad when it comes out.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/35-closed-doors-whispers-and-secrets/14/)
- [Rewatching a scary film often makes it less scary, because you know what is coming and your body stops being surprised.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/56-scary-films-nightmares-and-sad-endings/22/)
- [Three clues, one happy answer: a surprise is being planned, and it is kinder not to go looking for it.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/61-olympiad-what-is-really-going-on/6/)
- [Dogs and cats share our homes, so we think we know their minds, but scientists keep finding surprises with careful tests.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/0/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «surprise» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/surprise/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.