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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.

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  • 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
    Commented Mar 11, 2015 at 7:41
  • 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
    Commented Mar 11, 2015 at 7:43
  • 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
    Commented Mar 11, 2015 at 7:48
  • 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
    Commented Mar 11, 2015 at 7:50
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    Related (and this question is possibly a duplicate): ell.stackexchange.com/questions/16421/…, ell.stackexchange.com/questions/10718/….
    – Damkerng T.
    Commented Mar 11, 2015 at 8:51

2 Answers 2

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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)

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  • 2
    Hello 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
    Commented Mar 12, 2015 at 8:51
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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?"

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