a·fraid /əˈfreɪd/ ●●● S1 W2 adjectiveadj [not before noun] 1 FRIGHTENEDfrightened because you think that you may get hurt or that something bad may happen 害怕的,恐惧的 SYN scaredbe/feel afraid There’s no need to be afraid. 没有必要害怕。
afraid of something5 kids who are afraid of the dark怕黑的孩子
n Many children are afraid of the dark.
nafraid of somebodyn I was
a little afraid of him when I first met him.
afraid of doing something5 He was afraid of being caught by the police.他怕被警察抓住。
n Some old people are afraid of going out alone.
afraid to do something Zoe was afraid to go back into the house. 佐伊有点害怕回到那幢房子里。
► see thesaurus at frightened RegisterIn everyday English, people often say scared rather than afraid: 在日常英语中,人们一般说scared,而不说afraid
I’m scared of heights. 我恐高。
2 WORRIEDworried that something bad will happen as a result of your actions 担心的,忧虑的afraid (that) He was afraid that the other kids would laugh at him. 他担心其他孩子会嘲笑他。
n She was
half afraid that he would say no
(=a little afraid).
afraid of doing something I didn’t tell her because I was afraid of upsetting her. 我没有告诉她,因为怕她不高兴。
afraid of something The government was afraid of the reaction from the public. 政府担心民众强烈抗议。
afraid to do something Don’t be afraid to ask for help. 不要怕寻求帮助。
3 afraid for somebody/something worried that something bad may happen to a particular person or thing 为某人/某事担心 Her father looked ill and she was suddenly afraid for him. 她父亲似乎不舒服,她一下子为他担心起来。
Many of us were afraid for our jobs. 我们许多人为自己的工作担心。
afraid for somebody/something• Louise said Harry made her afraid for her personal safety around the house. 4 I’m afraid spokenFRIGHTENED used to politely tell someone something that may annoy, upset, or disappoint them 恐怕,很遗憾 That’s the most we can offer you, I’m afraid. 恐怕我们最多只能给你这些了。
I’m afraid (that) I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong address. 恐怕你找错地址了。
‘Is she very ill?’ ‘I’m afraid so (=yes).’ “她病得很厉害吗?”“恐怕是的。”
‘Did you see him?’ ‘I’m afraid not (=no).’ “你见到他了吗?”“很遗憾,没有。”
I’m afraid not• "Have you got change for £20?" "No, I'm afraid not."• "Are you coming to the barbecue tomorrow?'' "No, I'm afraid not. I've promised to go and see my Mum.'' 5 GRAMMAR 语法Afraid to do something means 'unwilling to do something, because you are frightened or worried' afraid to do something的意思是害怕做某事
They are afraid to express their political views.他们不敢表达自己的政治观点。
Afraid of doing something can also mean this afraid of doing something也有此含义
When I was a child, I was afraid of going to sleep.我小时候害怕睡觉。
However, it more often means 'frightened or worried that something might happen as a result of your action' 但它更多的时候是“担心会发生某事”的意思
They were afraid of damaging their careers.他们担心会毁掉自己的事业。
n GRAMMAR: Comparisonafraid, frightened, scaredYou feel
afraid of someone or something:
A lot of people are afraid of snakes.
✗Don’t say:
afraid about somethingYou feel
afraid to do something:
I was afraid to tell anyone.
You can use the same patterns with
frightened and
scared:
I was frightened of my father.
She was too scared to talk.
worriedYou feel
worried about someone or something:
I was worried about my father.
You feel
worried by something that has happened:
Many people were worried by the news.
afraid to do something• We have been all around Britain to put to them the intimate questions teachers and parents were too afraid to ask.• She was tense, almost afraid to breathe, almost afraid to meet his gaze.• Most women are basically too afraid to leave.• Could he be afraid to put them into words?• Bennett called her chicken, said she was afraid to race the newcomer.• Maybe-and this he feared more than anything-he would be afraid to seize such a moment when it came.• Gays afraid to speak out thank her for speaking for them.• We were afraid to use the buckets behind one of the partitions as we did during the air raids.