We express surprise when something unexpected, unusual, or difficult to believe happens.

A. Common Expressions of Surprise

Expression	Example
Really?	Really? I can’t believe it!
Is that true?	Is that true?
Are you serious?	Are you serious?
No way!	No way! That’s incredible!
You’re kidding!	You’re kidding!
I can’t believe it!	I can’t believe you won!
What a surprise!	What a surprise!
That’s amazing!	That’s amazing!
How surprising!	How surprising!
Good heavens!	Good heavens! I didn’t expect that!
Oh my God! / Oh my goodness!	Oh my goodness! What happened?

Note: In formal situations, expressions such as Really?, Is that true?, That’s surprising, and I can’t believe it are generally more appropriate than very informal expressions such as No way!

2. Exclamatory Sentences

We can also express surprise using What and How.

A. What + a/an + adjective + singular countable noun!

• What a beautiful place!
• What an amazing result!
• What a surprise!

B. What + adjective + plural/uncountable noun!

• What wonderful news!
• What beautiful flowers!
• What terrible weather!

C. How + adjective/adverb + subject + verb!

• How interesting this book is!
• How quickly he answered!
• How surprising the news is!

3. Responding to Surprising News

When someone gives you surprising information, you can respond with:

A: I passed my driving test!
B: Really? Congratulations!

A: Sara has won a scholarship.
B: That’s amazing! I can’t believe it!