shocked/taken aback

0Shocked is a much stronger reaction.0-

0Hi,02br
02br
00Thank you GG. Are 'be taken aback' and 'be shocked' only used in reaction of bad things?0-

0No, not only bad things, though it might be your first thought if you didn't have any context.02br
02br
00A: How did MIke take the news.02br
02br
00B: He was quite taken aback. (You may think that Mike got surprising bad news.)02br
02br
00But this is okay:02br
02br
00A: How did Mike react when he learned he got the

0Hi GG,02br
02br
00Thanks to you for your help very much.02br
00I have two more questions:02br
02br
001.Is the word 'stunned' used in reaction to something good and bad? Is it ok to use in your example as in02br
02br
00A: How did Mike react when he learned he got the promotion?02br
02br
00B: He was quite

0Well, I'm not sure you'll find complete agreement among us all, but here's my hierarchy, with possible verbal reactions.02br
02br
00Mildy surprised (Huh.. hmmm... interesting)02br
02br
00Taken aback - surprised (Holy cow! Oh my gosh!)02br
02br
00Very surprised (Holy ****!)02br
02br
00Amazed - Shocked - Astonished (O

0Very illustrative, GG 050010id1

0Hi GG,02br
02br
00How interesting your answer is! Thanks!02br
00Do you mean '01b00stunned02b00' is the 'strongest' and '01b00surprised02b00' is the least strong among those?02br
02br
00Could we use 'stunned' in reaction to both good and bad things? Can it be used in your example? 02br
02

0I suspect that if I was at the Oscars and they read my name as the recipient for best screenplay based on an existing work, I would be stunned. And pretty darn happy about it. 02br
02br
00I also suspect that if I came home to find my husband in the process of having *** with my neighbor's fiancee, I would also be stunned. And not very happy about it.02br
02br

0Thank you so much! GG. 0-