Telling stories · Talking
caught me off guard
surprised me
Made me feel surprised because I was not prepared for it.
This vs that
The question caught me off guard.
The question surprised me.
Hear it in real life
Why were you so quiet in the meeting?
The sudden change of plan caught me off guard.
Her question about my salary caught me off guard.
Which sounds natural?
Psst — which one would you actually say?
This idiom naturally describes an unexpected moment that leaves someone without a ready response.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: The question caught me in off guard.
Say: The question caught me off guard.
The expression uses 'off guard' without 'in'.
Say it together
Whole chunks natives use with it.
catch someone off guard
The sudden question caught me off guard.
Her reaction caught him off guard.
Phrases to borrow
More for talking about telling stories.
Before I knew it
Before I knew it, everyone was dancing in the kitchen.
I ended up ___
I ended up staying at my sister's for the weekend.
Telling stories words
Talking · Telling stories: the words around “caught me off guard”.
More connectionsMore telling stories words6
More telling stories words
Your turn: say it out loud
That question really caught me off guard.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
caught me off guard
surprised me
“Her question about my salary caught me off guard.”
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