Learn slang expressions related to being surprised
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| INTRODUCTION |
| John: Expressions Related to Being Surprised or Amazed |
| John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to EnglishClass101.com. I'm John. |
| Sydney: And I'm Sydney! |
| John: This is Must-Know American Slang Words and Phrases, Season 1, Lesson 2. In this lesson, you'll learn expressions related to being surprised or amazed. |
| John: These expressions are useful when you want to describe surprising or amazing things that happened to you. |
| SLANG EXPRESSIONS |
| John: The expressions you will be learning in this lesson are: |
| Sydney: knock your socks off |
| Sydney: to blow someone's mind |
| Sydney: to be floored |
| Sydney: ring a bell |
| John: Sydney, what's our first expression? |
| Sydney: knock your socks off |
| John: meaning "impress, amaze." |
| Sydney: [SLOW] knock your socks off [NORMAL] knock your socks off |
| John: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Sydney: knock your socks off |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| John: Use this slang expression when something amazes, impresses, or surprises you; it might even be a little overwhelming. |
| John: Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] "Wait till you see the new building. It will knock your socks off." [SLOW] "Wait till you see the new building. It will knock your socks off." |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] "Wait till you see the new building. It will knock your socks off." |
| John: Okay, what's the next expression? |
| Sydney: to blow someone's mind |
| John: meaning "to make someone’s head explode," but when it’s used as a slang expression, it means "surprise" or "amaze." |
| Sydney: [SLOW] to blow someone's mind [NORMAL] to blow someone's mind |
| John: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Sydney: to blow someone's mind |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| John: Use this slang expression when referring to something amazing or surprising. A person, event, movie, or situation can "blow one’s mind" when it’s particularly shocking, exciting, or inspiring. |
| John: Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] Did you see those special effects? They blew my mind! [SLOW] Did you see those special effects? They blew my mind! |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] Did you see those special effects? They blew my mind! |
| John: Okay, what's our next expression? |
| Sydney: to be floored |
| John: meaning "to be shocked, stunned, surprised." |
| Sydney: [SLOW] to be floored [NORMAL] to be floored |
| John: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Sydney: to be floored |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| John: If you've been "floored," that means something shocked you so much that you nearly fell onto the floor. |
| Sydney: It sometimes has a negative connotation, as in you are shocked someone would do such a thing. But, it can also be used to mean that you were surprised or overwhelmed by a positive emotion. |
| John: Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] "I was just floored that she would do that." [SLOW] "I was just floored that she would do that." |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] "I was just floored that she would do that." |
| John: Okay, what's the last expression? |
| Sydney: ring a bell |
| John: meaning "to cause a bell to make a sound," but when it’s used as a slang expression, it means "to remind someone of something." |
| Sydney: [SLOW] ring a bell [NORMAL] ring a bell |
| John: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Sydney: ring a bell |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| John: If something "rings a bell," that means it seems familiar, but you don't quite remember. Names of people and places often "ring bells," even if we can't remember exactly who or what they are. Now, let's hear an example sentence. |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] "Do you remember going to that lecture four years ago?" "It rings a bell, but no." [SLOW] "Do you remember going to that lecture four years ago?" "It rings a bell, but no." |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] "Do you remember going to that lecture four years ago?" "It rings a bell, but no." |
| QUIZ |
| John: Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the expressions you just learned? I will describe four situations, and you will choose the right expression to use in your reply. Are you ready? |
| John: A magician disappears during a magic trick. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Sydney: to blow someone's mind |
| John: "surprise or amaze" |
| John: A teacher is in awe of a student’s essay. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Sydney: knock your socks off |
| John: "impress, amaze" |
| John: You hear a phrase you think you heard before. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Sydney: ring a bell |
| John: "to seem familiar, to remind someone of something" |
| John: You win the lottery. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Sydney: to be floored |
| John: "to be shocked, stunned, surprised" |
Outro |
|---|
| John: There you have it; you have mastered four English Slang Expressions! We have more vocab lists available at EnglishClass101.com so be sure to check them out. Thanks everyone, and see you next time! |
| Sydney: Goodbye! |
8 Comments
HideHi Listeners! Do you know any other related slang expression? Post them in the comments.
Hi there Az Ho,
Thanks for your post and the positive feedback!
Please feel free to shoot through any questions you have throughout your studies.
Sincerely,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
❤️️❤️️❤️️❤️️❤️️
Hi Tabassom,
The expression you're asking about is "ring a bell" - it means does something remind you of something else or when you are trying to stimulate someones memory.
I hope this is helpful to you.
Cheers,
Eva
Team EnglishClass101.com
Hi. I can't understand the meaning of the example for ( ring a bell) what does it say? can we use these expressions when we are ,amazed or surprised or shocked? I mean they have the same meaning. yeah?
Tnx
Hello Ed,
Thanks for posting!
You can totally use those, they're perfectly fine and good adaptations of the phrase. We like your style!
If you have anymore questions please let us know!
Cheers!
Patricia
Team EnglishClass101.com
Hello,
Would it be correct to use in some cases instead of "knock your socks off" a modified phrase "knocked her socks off"?
or if to use your example sentence about a magician in the lesson, can I say that 'the magician knocked everybody's socks off with his disappearing trick'?
I heard "Great Scott!" from the movie Back to the Future, and it is an expression of impression/amaze, isn't it? But, is it often used in real life?