Use surprised after be, feel, look, seem, or get, often with by, at, or an infinitive.
Use surprised after be, feel, look, seem, or get, often with by, at, or an infinitive.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| She surprised by the news. | She was surprised by the news. |
| I am surprising to see you here. | I am surprised to see you here. |
| He was surprised for the result. | He was surprised by the result. |
| The surprised news arrived late. | The surprising news arrived late. |
Use surprised as the simple past or past participle of surprise when the subject is the thing or person that caused the reaction.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The party was surprised her. | The party surprised her. |
| The news surprised to me. | The news surprised me. |
| She surprised about his answer. | She was surprised by his answer. |
| The result was surprised everyone. | The result surprised everyone. |
Use surprised for the person or group having the reaction, and surprising for the thing that causes it.
Surprised and surprising are swapped in sentences like I am surprising to hear that instead of I am surprised to hear that.
From surprise plus the regular -ed ending. The adjective is recorded from the early 1600s as a past-participle adjective.
What does surprised mean?
Surprised means feeling or showing surprise because something unexpected happened or was learned.
Is surprised an adjective or a verb?
It can be both. Surprised is an adjective in She was surprised, and the past tense or past participle of surprise in The news surprised her.
What is the difference between surprised and surprising?
Surprised describes the person having the reaction, while surprising describes the thing that causes the reaction.
Which preposition follows surprised?
Common patterns include surprised by, surprised at, and surprised to before a verb.
Can I surprised be correct?
I surprised them is correct when I caused the surprise. I was surprised is needed when I felt the surprise.
Where does surprised come from?
Surprised comes from surprise with the regular -ed ending, and the adjective developed from the past participle.