I heard some entertainment news from Hollywood. The news said Actress Demi Moore and her young actor husband, Ashton Kutcher, were getting a divorce. I did not expect to hear that news. That news surprised me. I was surprised.

Some words can be used as a past tense verb and an adjective. Surprised is one of these words. Today, let’s have a look at some of these words and learn how to use them.

Past tense verbs

The news surprised me. ← Surprised is the past tense of the verb, surprise. “The news” is the subject of the sentence. The news did the action of “surprise.” Here are a few more examples:

  • My sister gave me a present. I was not expecting her present, so my sister surprised me. My sister did the action
  • I surprised my aunt when I called her on her birthday.  I did the action.

Hint: [The subject] + [past verb] describes an action:

  • The comedian amused me.
  • The subway confused the tourists.
  • Going to the toy store excited the children

Participle Adjectives

I was surprised by the news. ← Surprised is an adjective. “I” is the subject of the sentence. My feeling or reaction to the news was “surprise.” Some past tense verb forms are used as adjectives, as in the above example. You need to be careful to use the word correctly. If you are talking about your feeling, then you can use be or feel, like this:

  • I am surprised
  • I feel surprised

Hint: The subject + Be Verb + “ed” adjective is describing a feeling

  • Lori was confused when she used the subway in NYC.
  • I was tired yesterday after work.
  • We are excited about our trip to Tokyo.

Thanks for being excited about my lessons here. I hope I didn’t confuse you!