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How to express shock in English

It is sometimes difficult to say how you feel in unexpected situations, such as natural disasters, especially when you feel sad. Here's a list of some common expressions to help you express shock and disbelief.

Shock

I was shocked to hear…
The news came as a complete shock.
We're all in complete shock.
Everyone's reeling from the shock of…
It happened out of the blue.
Who could have predicted it?
I (just) can't get over ….
We were completely taken aback by…
I was just stunned by…

Disbelief

I just can't believe…
It's unbelievable.
I / You just can't imagine…
Words can't describe… (how I feel about / the terrible devastation etc)
There's no way it could have happened.

Saying how bad something is

It's so awful.
It's terrible / What terrible news.
It's a tragedy.
It's a catastrophe (pronounced "ca – tas – tra – fee" with the stress on "-tas")
This is the worst thing that could have happened.

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11 comments on “How to express shock in English”

pipo

well i don`t understand some phrases like:It happened out of the blue.what does this one mean????
waitin 4 more explanation…to make it clear

It means that you didn't expect it – it was a complete shock when it happened.

Ryan Trompetter

well to my knowledge, out of the blue is a term that comes from the ocean, because if u are underwater the water can become thick and then things appear "out of the blue" , which is unexpected , because you can not see, and would generally shock you greatly, especially if say a great white came out of the blue.

simran

I FELL all these phrases are jst outstanding and are for a high class level but realy this is great method of learning ..a very good site .

naz

hello thank you so much this website is so helpful for us. and ? learnt very things

hana

I have learnt very much about it.Thanks!

naseem

It was very easy to understant this i hope
i can use these easily.

vama

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osmand

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thanks calre

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Altaf Soomro

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