unexpectedly

Everyday

Unexpectedly means in a way that nobody expected or planned; as a surprise. tree →

In the lessons

In stories it signals a twist: «Unexpectedly, the door opened.» In everyday life: visitors arrive unexpectedly, weather changes unexpectedly. In science, a result can turn out unexpectedly, which leads to new questions. Phrases: «quite unexpectedly», «not unexpectedly» (which means «as expected»).

Examples

• Unexpectedly, it started to snow in April. tree →
• Grandad arrived unexpectedly with presents. tree →
• The shy boy unexpectedly won the singing contest. tree →
• The experiment ended unexpectedly when the beaker cracked. tree →
• The bus stopped unexpectedly in the middle of the road. tree →
• Not unexpectedly, the team that trained hardest won. tree →
• One day the pair unexpectedly met a Lion. tree →

Note

From «unexpected» + «-ly». «Not unexpectedly» is a double negative and means «as we expected». Often at the start of a sentence followed by a comma.