Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[leslie]

Hi,

In the English dictionary, what do you know! means people are very surprised about something. But the dictionary does not tell in what context it is used. Could anyone tell me in what context it is used? Could you give me examples? Also, is this phrase to show good surprise or bad surprise? Thank you for your help.

leslie

[Harmony]

Hi Leslie,

Here are some examples:

As an expression of pleasant surprise -

Ms. A is at the store: "What do you know! This is exactly the sort of lamp I was looking for!"

Ms. A is opening her mail: "Well, what do you know! I've won a free ticket to the concert next week!"

Ms. A shares some news she has just heard: "What do you know! Richard and Megan are getting married!

As a sarcastic comment -

Ms. A whispers to her friend Ms. B: "What do you know! Ms. C is actually on time for a change!

Ms. A is reading the sports section of the local newspaper: "Well, what do you know! The high school basketball team lost another game."

Ms. A is peering out the window: "What do you know! Our neighbors have finally decided to clean up their backyard!"

Most people wouldn't use this phrase for a "bad surprise". For example, you wouldn't say "What do you know! I've lost my keys!" You'd say, "Oh no! I've lost my keys!" If you wanted to be sarcastic you could say "This is just great! I've lost my keys again!"

If you need more examples let us know.

Harmony

[leslie]

Thank you for your help, Harmony. So, what do you know! is a little bit like 'wow' or 'Who could have thought about this"? Is what do you know! very commonly used in daily life? If not, what are the expressions that people use frequently when they want to show their surprise? Thank you again. Have a nice day!

Leslie

[Harmony]