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Is this sentence correct? Does it sound ok for a native English speaker?
Are you also surprised?
I'm asking because I'm not a native English speaker. I'm not sure if it sounds natural.
I would use
"Are you surprised too."
instead, but I'd like to know if it sounds ok with "also" too.
Tom
Posted 2015-03-11T07:36:02.753
Reputation: 43
1
Both are ok, but your first sentence is more written than spoken.
"Also is commonly used in writing, but is less common in speaking." (Source: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/also-as-well-or-too)
Darius Miliauskas
Posted 2015-03-11T07:36:02.753
Reputation: 256
2Hello and welcome to the site! Can you give a reference for yor statement? Are you a native speaker? Generally, it's a good idea to back up your answers a bit. – Stephie – 2015-03-12T08:51:56.050
0
Unspoken, they mean pretty much the the same thing. But when spoken, the emphasis would typically be different, and that can produce a difference in interpretation because it makes the "too" or "also" agree with either "surprised" (first form) or "you" (second form). So:
"Are you also surprised?" could mean what it does in the following:
"So, you're angry, and you're upset, and you're frustrated. Are you also surprised?
"Are you surprised too?" could mean what it does in the following:
"Well I'm surprised, and Paul is surprised, and I'm pretty sure Betty is surprised. Are you surprised too?"
tkp
Posted 2015-03-11T07:36:02.753
Reputation: 4 037
Tom, can you describe what research you've done and your current understanding of how and when to use also? Is there a particular reason you are unsure if this sentence is correct? – pyobum – 2015-03-11T07:41:40.913
Helo and welcome to the site! Please note: Simple proofreading is off-topic for this site and leads to your qustion being closed rather quickly. But if you have a specific point that you are wondering about, please edit your question and we'll be happy to add our own "five cents" to it. – Stephie – 2015-03-11T07:43:02.523
I'm asking because I'm not a native English speaker. I'm not sure if it sounds natural. I would use "Are you surprised too." instead, but I'd like to know if it sounds ok with also too. – Tom – 2015-03-11T07:48:28.993
We sort of assumed this ;-) (neither am I, btw.) @pyobum gave some good pointers and if you need more, see this post on ELL meta which I personally think every new user should read.
– Stephie – 2015-03-11T07:50:56.7535
Related (and this question is possibly a duplicate): http://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/16421/too-vs-also-which-one-is-correct, http://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/10718/too-vs-also-in-i-too-and-i-also.
– Damkerng T. – 2015-03-11T08:51:59.127Another option: Are you surprised as well? – Maulik V – 2015-03-11T09:58:18.133