These words all mean to make sb feel surprised. 以上各词均含使惊奇、使诧异之义。

• surprise to give sb the feeling that you get when sth happens that you do not expect or do not understand, or sth that you do expect does not happen; to make sb feel surprised 指使惊奇、使诧异、使感到意外：◆The outcome didn't surprise me at all. 这一结果完全在我的意料之中。
• startle to surprise sb suddenly in a way that slightly shocks or frightens them 指惊吓、使吓一跳、使大吃一惊：◆Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. 对不起，我不是存心要吓唬你。◆The explosion startled the horse. 爆炸声使马受了惊。
• amaze to surprise sb very much 指使惊奇、使惊愕、使惊诧：◆Just the huge size of the place amazed her. 仅仅地方之大就使她十分惊奇。
• stun (rather informal) (often in newspapers) to surprise or shock sb so much that they cannot think clearly or speak （常用于报章）指使震惊、使惊愕、使目瞪口呆
• astonish to surprise sb very much 指使十分惊讶、使大为惊奇：◆The news astonished everyone. 这消息使大家十分惊讶。

amaze or astonish? 用 amaze 还是 astonish？

These two words have the same meaning and in most cases you can use either. If you are talking about sth that both surprises you and makes you feel ashamed, use astonish. 上述两词意思相同，多数情况下可通用。如果指某事既使人惊愕又使人羞愧则用 astonish：◆He was astonished by his own stupidity. 他对自己的愚蠢感到十分震惊。

• take sb aback [usually passive] (especially of sth negative) to surprise or shock sb （尤指不好的事）使大吃一惊、使震惊：◆We were rather taken aback by her hostile reaction. 她敌视的反应使我们大吃一惊。
• astound to surprise or shock sb very much 指使震惊、使大惊：◆His arrogance astounded her. 他的傲慢使她震惊。

Patterns

• It surprises sb/startles sb/amazes sb/stuns sb/astonishes sb/takes sb aback/astounds sb
• to surprise/startle/amaze/stun/astonish/astound sb that…
• to surprise/amaze sb what/how…
• to surprise/startle/amaze/stun/astonish/astound sb to know/find/learn/see/hear…
• to be surprised/startled/stunned into (doing) sth