Meaning & use
nice surprise
Last updated
Meanings
phrasecountable
something unexpected that makes you feel happy or pleased
Grammar: Used as a countable noun phrase: a nice surprise, the nice surprise, nice surprises.
Patterns
- a nice surprise for someone
- a nice surprise to hear/see something
- have a nice surprise
Getting flowers from my students was a nice surprise.
It was a nice surprise to see you at the party last night.
We planned a nice surprise for her birthday.
phrasefixed phrase
used to describe an event or result that is unexpectedly pleasant
Grammar: Often used after 'be' or 'come as': The news was a nice surprise.
Patterns
- come as a nice surprise
- be a nice surprise
The exam results came as a nice surprise to everyone.
His visit was a nice surprise after a long week.
Common combinations
- a nice surprise for someone
- I bought a nice surprise for my mother.
- come as a nice surprise
- The promotion came as a nice surprise.
- a nice surprise to hear
- It was a nice surprise to hear from you.
- plan a nice surprise
- They planned a nice surprise for their teacher.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pleasant surprise
- Very similar, but slightly more formal and often used in writing.
- treat
- Focuses on something enjoyable you give yourself or receive, not necessarily unexpected.
Opposites
Commonly confused: nice surprise or nice try?
nice surprise vs nice try
This is often said when someone fails but you want to encourage them, or sarcastically when an attempt was not good enough. It is not the same as a nice surprise.
Practice
Choose the best sentence using 'nice surprise'.
Choose one answer.
Option 1 is correct because 'a nice surprise' describes an unexpected pleasant event. Option 0 is wrong because failing a test is not pleasant. Option 2 uses 'surprise' as a verb incorrectly with 'nice' before it. Option 3 is missing an article and does not make sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nice surprise”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.