(un)expected vs. (un)surprising
There's a rule put forth in our textbook for language learners:
We use '-ed' adjectives to describe how people feel.
We use '-ing' adjectives to describe how something or someone makes people feel.
e.g. The film is very touching. All of us are touched.
However, I'm not sure how to explain why the adjective 'unexpected' doesn't fit the pattern above when a synonym -- 'surprising' -- does.
That was surprising.
That was unexpected.
I suppose a surprising thing makes people feel surprised, but an unexpected thing doesn't make people feel unexpected.
My hang-up is that I don't want to frame this as merely an exception to a rule when it very well may not be.
How can we explain this? Do we classify these two adjectives differently? Is it simply an exception to a flawed "rule"?
word-choice adjectives
asked 22 hours ago
OiohwahOiohwah
63
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show 7 more comments
There's a rule put forth in our textbook for language learners:
We use '-ed' adjectives to describe how people feel.
We use '-ing' adjectives to describe how something or someone makes people feel.
e.g. The film is very touching. All of us are touched.
However, I'm not sure how to explain why the adjective 'unexpected' doesn't fit the pattern above when a synonym -- 'surprising' -- does.
That was surprising.
That was unexpected.
I suppose a surprising thing makes people feel surprised, but an unexpected thing doesn't make people feel unexpected.
My hang-up is that I don't want to frame this as merely an exception to a rule when it very well may not be.
How can we explain this? Do we classify these two adjectives differently? Is it simply an exception to a flawed "rule"?
word-choice adjectives
asked 22 hours ago
OiohwahOiohwah
63
New contributor
Oiohwah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
If you are learning English, you may find our sister site English Language Learners more suited to your needs.
– TrevorD
21 hours ago
2
Well, it's not just a one-off exception: that rule is fundamentally flawed. It's more difficult, but more accurate to give a rule that relates the use of -ed vs. -ing to whether the modified noun would be used as the subject or object of the related verb.
– sumelic
21 hours ago
Some related questions: What is the grammatical difference behind “is interesting” and “is interested”?, Is this the correct explanation of the difference between “excited” and “exciting”, “bored” and “boring”, etc?, Repeated vs Repeating
– sumelic
21 hours ago
@TrevorD thanks, I did look at that because my students are learners. My assessment was that this question was more suited to the English usage site just judging from the nature of the questions on both site, along with the fact that I'm a native user.
– Oiohwah
21 hours ago
@sumelic I suppose you're right about the rule being flawed. As you mention in that other post, there's unintended, unexpected, unsuspected. Are there any other commonalities these words that would explain why they break from this pattern?
– Oiohwah
20 hours ago
|
show 7 more comments
There's a rule put forth in our textbook for language learners:
We use '-ed' adjectives to describe how people feel.
We use '-ing' adjectives to describe how something or someone makes people feel.
e.g. The film is very touching. All of us are touched.
However, I'm not sure how to explain why the adjective 'unexpected' doesn't fit the pattern above when a synonym -- 'surprising' -- does.
That was surprising.
That was unexpected.
I suppose a surprising thing makes people feel surprised, but an unexpected thing doesn't make people feel unexpected.
My hang-up is that I don't want to frame this as merely an exception to a rule when it very well may not be.
How can we explain this? Do we classify these two adjectives differently? Is it simply an exception to a flawed "rule"?
word-choice adjectives
asked 22 hours ago
OiohwahOiohwah
63
New contributor
Oiohwah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
There's a rule put forth in our textbook for language learners:
We use '-ed' adjectives to describe how people feel.
We use '-ing' adjectives to describe how something or someone makes people feel.
e.g. The film is very touching. All of us are touched.
However, I'm not sure how to explain why the adjective 'unexpected' doesn't fit the pattern above when a synonym -- 'surprising' -- does.
That was surprising.
That was unexpected.
I suppose a surprising thing makes people feel surprised, but an unexpected thing doesn't make people feel unexpected.
My hang-up is that I don't want to frame this as merely an exception to a rule when it very well may not be.
How can we explain this? Do we classify these two adjectives differently? Is it simply an exception to a flawed "rule"?
word-choice adjectives
word-choice adjectives
asked 22 hours ago
OiohwahOiohwah
63
New contributor
Oiohwah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 22 hours ago
OiohwahOiohwah
63
New contributor
Oiohwah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 20 hours ago
Oiohwah
asked 22 hours ago
OiohwahOiohwah
63
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asked 22 hours ago
OiohwahOiohwah
63
asked 22 hours ago
OiohwahOiohwah
63
63
New contributor
Oiohwah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Oiohwah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Oiohwah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
If you are learning English, you may find our sister site English Language Learners more suited to your needs.
– TrevorD
21 hours ago
2
Well, it's not just a one-off exception: that rule is fundamentally flawed. It's more difficult, but more accurate to give a rule that relates the use of -ed vs. -ing to whether the modified noun would be used as the subject or object of the related verb.
– sumelic
21 hours ago
Some related questions: What is the grammatical difference behind “is interesting” and “is interested”?, Is this the correct explanation of the difference between “excited” and “exciting”, “bored” and “boring”, etc?, Repeated vs Repeating
– sumelic
21 hours ago
@TrevorD thanks, I did look at that because my students are learners. My assessment was that this question was more suited to the English usage site just judging from the nature of the questions on both site, along with the fact that I'm a native user.
– Oiohwah
21 hours ago
@sumelic I suppose you're right about the rule being flawed. As you mention in that other post, there's unintended, unexpected, unsuspected. Are there any other commonalities these words that would explain why they break from this pattern?
– Oiohwah
20 hours ago
|
show 7 more comments
If you are learning English, you may find our sister site English Language Learners more suited to your needs.
– TrevorD
21 hours ago
2
Well, it's not just a one-off exception: that rule is fundamentally flawed. It's more difficult, but more accurate to give a rule that relates the use of -ed vs. -ing to whether the modified noun would be used as the subject or object of the related verb.
– sumelic
21 hours ago
Some related questions: What is the grammatical difference behind “is interesting” and “is interested”?, Is this the correct explanation of the difference between “excited” and “exciting”, “bored” and “boring”, etc?, Repeated vs Repeating
– sumelic
21 hours ago
@TrevorD thanks, I did look at that because my students are learners. My assessment was that this question was more suited to the English usage site just judging from the nature of the questions on both site, along with the fact that I'm a native user.
– Oiohwah
21 hours ago
@sumelic I suppose you're right about the rule being flawed. As you mention in that other post, there's unintended, unexpected, unsuspected. Are there any other commonalities these words that would explain why they break from this pattern?
– Oiohwah
20 hours ago
If you are learning English, you may find our sister site English Language Learners more suited to your needs.
– TrevorD
21 hours ago
If you are learning English, you may find our sister site English Language Learners more suited to your needs.
– TrevorD
21 hours ago
2
2
Well, it's not just a one-off exception: that rule is fundamentally flawed. It's more difficult, but more accurate to give a rule that relates the use of -ed vs. -ing to whether the modified noun would be used as the subject or object of the related verb.
– sumelic
21 hours ago
Well, it's not just a one-off exception: that rule is fundamentally flawed. It's more difficult, but more accurate to give a rule that relates the use of -ed vs. -ing to whether the modified noun would be used as the subject or object of the related verb.
– sumelic
21 hours ago
Some related questions: What is the grammatical difference behind “is interesting” and “is interested”?, Is this the correct explanation of the difference between “excited” and “exciting”, “bored” and “boring”, etc?, Repeated vs Repeating
– sumelic
21 hours ago
Some related questions: What is the grammatical difference behind “is interesting” and “is interested”?, Is this the correct explanation of the difference between “excited” and “exciting”, “bored” and “boring”, etc?, Repeated vs Repeating
– sumelic
21 hours ago
@TrevorD thanks, I did look at that because my students are learners. My assessment was that this question was more suited to the English usage site just judging from the nature of the questions on both site, along with the fact that I'm a native user.
– Oiohwah
21 hours ago
@TrevorD thanks, I did look at that because my students are learners. My assessment was that this question was more suited to the English usage site just judging from the nature of the questions on both site, along with the fact that I'm a native user.
– Oiohwah
21 hours ago
@sumelic I suppose you're right about the rule being flawed. As you mention in that other post, there's unintended, unexpected, unsuspected. Are there any other commonalities these words that would explain why they break from this pattern?
– Oiohwah
20 hours ago
@sumelic I suppose you're right about the rule being flawed. As you mention in that other post, there's unintended, unexpected, unsuspected. Are there any other commonalities these words that would explain why they break from this pattern?
– Oiohwah
20 hours ago
|
show 7 more comments
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If you are learning English, you may find our sister site English Language Learners more suited to your needs.
– TrevorD
21 hours ago
2
Well, it's not just a one-off exception: that rule is fundamentally flawed. It's more difficult, but more accurate to give a rule that relates the use of -ed vs. -ing to whether the modified noun would be used as the subject or object of the related verb.
– sumelic
21 hours ago
Some related questions: What is the grammatical difference behind “is interesting” and “is interested”?, Is this the correct explanation of the difference between “excited” and “exciting”, “bored” and “boring”, etc?, Repeated vs Repeating
– sumelic
21 hours ago
@TrevorD thanks, I did look at that because my students are learners. My assessment was that this question was more suited to the English usage site just judging from the nature of the questions on both site, along with the fact that I'm a native user.
– Oiohwah
21 hours ago
@sumelic I suppose you're right about the rule being flawed. As you mention in that other post, there's unintended, unexpected, unsuspected. Are there any other commonalities these words that would explain why they break from this pattern?
– Oiohwah
20 hours ago