Meaning
This pattern emphasizes the speaker's emotional reaction to something that happened. It connects an emotion (A) with an event or situation (B), expressing that B caused A. The は particle is optional. The structure highlights surprising, unfortunate, or fortunate circumstances.
Formation
| Part of speech | Formation |
|---|---|
| 动词(た形) | ことに(は) |
| い形容词 | ことに(は) |
| な形容词 | な + ことに(は) |
Examples
-
部屋に入ったら、驚いたことに、疑生日ケーキがテーブルの上に置いてあった。
When I entered the room, to my great surprise, a birthday cake was placed on the table. -
驚いたことに、あの頭のいい山田さんが大学入試に失敗した。
To everyone's shock, that smart student Yamada failed the university entrance exam. -
荷物が重くて困っていたところ、運のよいことに、通りかかった人が手伝ってくれた。
While struggling with heavy luggage, luckily a passerby offered to help me. -
残念なことに、高校のサッカーチームはPK戦で負けてしまいました。
Unfortunately, the high school soccer team lost in a penalty shootout.
Summary
- Formed with: past tense verbs, i-adjectives, or na-adjectives + ことに(は)
- Emphasizes emotional reactions to unexpected or remarkable situations
- Commonly used with emotions like: surprised, troubled, happy, sad, strange, unfortunate