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.
11 comments on “How to express shock in English”
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.
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.
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