1. 恐怕的，害怕的，畏惧的，不敢的
2. 担心的，担忧的
3. 遗憾的，抱歉的

1. [P]害怕,畏惧 feeling fear; frightened
2. [P]担忧,忧虑 worried or anxious about the possible result of sth
3. [P]担心 frightened or worried about things that may put sb/sth in danger

1. filled with fear or apprehension;

   "afraid even to turn his head"
   "suddenly looked afraid"
   "afraid for his life"
   "afraid of snakes"
   "afraid to ask questions"
   

2. filled with regret or concern; used often to soften an unpleasant statement;

   "I'm afraid I won't be able to come"
   "he was afraid he would have to let her go"
   "I'm afraid you're wrong"
   

3. feeling worry or concern or insecurity;

   "She was afraid that I might be embarrassed"
   "terribly afraid of offending someone"
   "I am afraid we have witnessed only the first phase of the conflict"
   

4. having feelings of aversion or unwillingness;

   "afraid of hard work"
   "afraid to show emotion"
   

1.害怕的；恐惧的
If you areafraid of someone orafraid to do something, you are frightened because you think that something very unpleasant is going to happen to you.

e.g. She did not seem at allafraid...
她毫无惧色。
e.g. I wasafraid of the other boys...
我害怕其他的男孩们。

2.担心的；忧虑的
If you areafraid for someone else, you are worried that something horrible is going to happen to them.

afraid的近义词

e.g. She'safraid for her family in Somalia.
她为身在索马里的家人担心。

3.顾忌的；犯愁的
If you areafraid that something unpleasant will happen, you are worried that it may happen and you want to avoid it.

e.g. I wasafraid that nobody would believe me...
我担心没有人会相信我。
e.g. The Government isafraid of losing the election...
现届政府担心会在选举中落败。

4.（用以道歉或婉转地提出异议）很抱歉，很遗憾，恐怕
If you want to apologize to someone or to disagree with them in a polite way, you can sayI'm afraid.

e.g. We don't have anything like that, I'mafraid...
我们恐怕没有那样的东西。
e.g. I'mafraid I can't help you...
恐怕我帮不了你。

1. 害怕、担心：我问他们是否害怕、担心(afraid)警察来. surprised 感到惊讶的;pleased高兴的,满足的;determined坚决的,决定了的. 47 D 常识运用逻辑推理警察可能来阻止(stop)他们. 警察对于这样的事有不着去逮住、查封( seize)、搏斗、对抗(fight)或是搜寻、调查(search)的,

2. 害怕的：one#一人(或物) |afraid#害怕的 | opposed#反对的

很抱歉，我们不能来。

对不起,我没听清你刚才所说的话。

我没有提起那件事，因为我怕他心烦意乱。

你怕蛇吗?

孩子独自自己在家,感到害怕。

此事恐怕还没有完。

我很抱歉地说，他一点也不见好转。

“还有剩的没有？”“恐怕没有。”

“那痛不痛？”“恐怕会痛。”

我担心的不是自己，而是婴儿。

他们已经解雇了三人，所以他为他的工作担忧。

对不起，我帮不了你的忙。

很遗憾，我们来不了。

你要是不懂，尽管问好了。

我们担心会把船弄翻。

别怕。

一切都结束了。现在没有什么可怕的了。

你怕蜘蛛吗？

我开始害怕夜间单独外出了。

她不敢开门。

她担心会使她父母不安。

恐怕我帮不了你。

她毫无惧色。

我害怕其他的男孩们。

她为身在索马里的家人担心。

我担心没有人会相信我。

现届政府担心会在选举中落败。

我们恐怕没有那样的东西。

谢谢您招待这麽美味的一餐.

恐怕你的订单来得太突然,我们全无准备,目前尚无货源.

" 你晚点了 吗 ? ” “ 恐怕是晚了. ”

恐怕他没有被选为种子选手吧.

1. Don't be afraid.
   别怕。
2. It's hard to be afraid with you.You're a very reassuring person.
   和你在一起时我不感到畏惧,因为你能使人心安。
3. She suddenly looked afraid.
   她突然显得害怕了。

1. The mother is very much afraid for her son who is seriously ill.
   母亲很担心自己的儿子,他病得很重。
2. I was afraid for her. I thought something was going to happen to her.
   我替她担心，我觉得她要出事。
3. He is afraid for himself.
   他总是提心吊胆的。
4. The mayor was secretly afraid for his position.
   市长暗自担心自己的地位不保。
5. As the economic crises became worse, everyone was afraid for his job.
   由于经济危机加剧,人人都担心自己的工作。

1. Are you afraid of him?
   你怕他吗?
2. People refer the man who was afraid of his wife as henpecked.
   人们把那个怕老婆的男人叫“妻管严”。
3. Our teacher is strict with us, but we are not afraid of her.
   老师对我们要求很严,可是我们并不怕她。
4. The little girl is afraid of that policeman.
   那小女孩怕那个警察。
5. I am more afraid of him than you.
   我比你更害怕他。
6. What are you afraid of? I am afraid of snakes.
   你怕什么? 我怕蛇。
7. Don't be afraid of the dog.
   别怕那狗。
8. Some women are afraid of mice.
   有些妇女害怕耗子。
9. Napoleon was deadly afraid of a razor.
   拿破仑对剃须刀怕得要命。
10. He is afraid of the dark.
    他怕黑。
11. We are not afraid of the difficulties.
    我们不怕困难。
12. Most people are afraid of death.
    多数人怕死。
13. We are not afraid of hardships nor death.
    我们一不怕苦,二不怕死。
14. That is what I was afraid of.
    我所怕者就在于此。
15. There is nothing to be afraid of.
    没有什么可怕的。

1. I am afraid of hurting her feelings.
   我怕伤害她的感情。
2. They were afraid of going out.
   他们怕外出。
3. I am afraid of going through that wood.
   我害怕穿过那片树林。
4. Don't be afraid of asking for help.
   别害怕求人帮忙。
5. He always seems awfully afraid of losing his job.
   他似乎非常害怕砸了饭碗。
6. She was probably afraid of embarrassing me.
   她大概怕弄得我很尴尬。
7. I was afraid of making you uneasy, too.
   我也担心会使你感到不安。
8. She is afraid of hurting her teacher.
   她唯恐使老师不高兴。
9. He never climbed trees as a boy because he was afraid of falling.
   他小时候从未爬过树,怕摔下来。
10. She speaks English slowly, as she is afraid of making mistakes.
    她讲英语时速度很慢,因为怕出错。
11. They were talking quietly, because they were afraid of disturbing others.
    他们谈话声音很轻,因为怕影响别人。
12. He is afraid of waking up late, and so he always has an alarm clock on his bedside table.
    他怕醒晚了,总是在床头桌上放一个闹钟。
13. In threading my way through a packed bus,I am afraid of treading on somebody's toes.
    在拥挤的公共汽车上走动的时候,我总是怕踩着别人的脚。
14. She closed the door very quietly, as she was afraid of wakening her baby.
    她害怕把小宝宝惊醒,所以关门的动作很轻。
15. The boy was afraid of being late.
    这男孩怕迟到。
16. Thieves are afraid of being overheard even when they are talking in a whisper.
    做贼的就连在低声细语时也怕人听见。
17. The farmer felt the cow, went away, returned, sorely perplexed, always afraid of being cheated.
    那农民摸摸那头牛,走了又回来,犹豫不决,总怕上当受骗。
18. They are eager to be understood but afraid of opening their hearts to others.
    他们渴望理解，可是不敢向人们敞开心扉。

1. She was afraid of what he might say.
   她生怕他会说漏了嘴。

1. He is afraid to jump.
   他不敢跳。
2. That little girl is afraid to go out alone.
   那个小女孩不敢一个人出去。
3. The little boy was afraid to go near the dog.
   那个小男孩不敢走近那条狗。
4. Are you afraid to sleep in this room alone?
   你一个人不敢在这房间里睡吗?
5. Lea was afraid to stay alone at the house with the treasure.
   莉亚不敢一个人呆在放财宝的那间屋子里。
6. I am afraid to tell her.
   我不敢告诉她。
7. I'm afraid to ask him for a raise.
   我不敢提出要他为我加薪。
8. He was afraid to take even a drink of water.
   他连喝水都不敢。
9. I was much afraid to break the news to him.
   我非常害怕告诉他这个消息。
10. The little girl was afraid to ask for help.
    那小姑娘不敢求人帮忙。
11. Shy people are often afraid to speak up.
    腼腆的人常常不敢大声讲话。
12. Don't be afraid to ask questions.
    不要怕提问题。
13. People having backaches are afraid to bend over.
    腰疼的人不敢弯腰。
14. My God,I am afraid to swim now that I had that accident.
    天哪,那次出事之后,我现在不敢再去游泳了。
15. I am afraid to do business with double-dealers. They are capable of any dirty tricks.
    我不敢和两面派打交道,他们是什么卑鄙的事都干得出来的。
16. She is afraid to go through the wood but she has to.
    她虽然害怕,可还是不得不穿过这树林。
17. Neither beasts nor birds would have the bat as their friend, so he was afraid to leave his home.
    兽类和鸟群都不把蝙蝠当作朋友,因此他不敢离开家。
18. I am not afraid to say what I think.
    我不怕谈出自己的想法。
19. Our frontier soldiers are not afraid to lay down their lives for the motherland.
    我们的边防战士为了祖国不怕牺牲自己的生命。
20. We are never afraid to lay down our lives for our great revolutionary cause.
    我们从来不怕为我们伟大的革命事业而献出自己的生命。
21. She was afraid to be seen speaking to me.
    她怕跟我讲话被别人看见。

1. The little girl was afraid that she will die.
   那小姑娘担心自己会死。
2. I am afraid it may hurt you.
   我怕这会使你伤心。
3. I was afraid it might hurt your feelings.
   我怕这会伤害你的感情。
4. He was afraid what he had done might have disastrous effect on his career.
   他担心自己的所作所为会对前程产生极为不利的影响。

1. I am afraid (that) it is true.
   恐怕这是真的。
2. I am afraid the train will be late.
   恐怕火车会晚点。
3. I am afraid the information is not reliable.
   恐怕这信息不可靠。
4. I am afraid there's some sort of misunderstanding.
   恐怕有一些误解。
5. I am afraid I can't stay here any longer.
   恐怕我在这里呆不下去了。
6. I am afraid (that) they have gone out.
   恐怕他们出去了。
7. “I'm afraid it was a waste of time,” Fred said.
   “恐怕这是浪费时间,”弗雷德说。
8. I am afraid that he will not succeed.
   恐怕他不会成功。
9. I'm afraid (that) it will be too late to go there.
   恐怕去那儿太晚了。
10. I'm afraid we shall be late for the meeting.
    恐怕我们开会要迟到。
11. You'll come up, won't you? I'm afraid the servants are in bed.
    你上来好吗?我想佣人们都上床睡觉了。
12. I am afraid this won't work.
    这样做恐怕不行。
13. I'm afraid I've spilled my coffee.
    对不起,我把咖啡溅了出来。
14. I am afraid I've broken your pen.
    对不起,我弄断了你的笔。
15. I'm afraid I can't do that today.
    恐怕我今天不能干那件事。
16. I am afraid I can't help you.
    恐怕我帮不了你。
17. Excuse me,I am afraid you can't smoke in here.
    对不起,这里不许吸烟。
18. I am very much afraid you can't visit him on weekdays.
    非常抱歉,不是周末不能看他。
19. I am afraid I don't have the book.
    很遗憾,我这里没有这本书。
20. I'm afraid it's going to be difficult to arrange.
    很抱歉,要安排这件事很困难。
21. I'm afraid your wife had an accident.
    你的夫人恐怕遇上意外事故了。
22. I'm afraid your account is overdrawn.
    很遗憾,你的存款透支了。
23. Sorry,I'm afraid she's gone to town.
    对不起,她进城了。
24. You didn't see my point,I'm afraid.
    恐怕你没有理解我的意思。
25. You have failed in the English examination,I am afraid.
    很遗憾,您英语考试不及格。

1. “Do you think it'll rain again today?”“Yes,I am afraid so.”
   “你认为今天还会下雨吗?”“恐怕会的。”
2. “Did you lose?”“I'm afraid so.”
   “你输了吗?”“恐怕是。”
3. “It'll rain.”“I am afraid so.”
   “要下雨了。”“我想是这样。”
4. “Are we on time?”“I am afraid not.”
   “我们来得及时吗?”“恐怕不行。”
5. “Are you coming to our party?”“I am afraid not.”
   “你来参加聚会吧?”“恐怕不能。”
6. “Do you think he will come?”“I am afraid not.”
   “你认为他会来吗?”“恐怕不会。”
7. “Can you lend me a pound?”“I'm afraid not.”
   “你能借给我一些钱吗?”“恐怕不行。”

1. Nothing can make me afraid.
   什么东西都不能使我害怕。

1. afraid for their own lives,Duncan's two sons fled.
   邓肯的两个儿子担心自己性命难保,就逃走了。
2. afraid that I couldn't finish up the work on time, they came to help me.
   他们担心我不能按时完成工作,就来帮助我。

• afraid">be afraid害怕
• afraid">look afraid显得害怕
• afraid">seem afraid好像害怕

• afraid">half afraid有点怕
• afraid">not a bit afraid一点不怕
• afraid">awfully afraid非常害怕
• afraid">cautiously afraid怕得谨小慎微
• afraid">childishly afraid非常幼稚地怕
• afraid">constantly afraid一直怕
• afraid">curiously afraid怕得叫人难以理解
• afraid">deadly afraid怕得要命
• afraid">distressingly afraid怕得令人痛苦
• afraid">dreadfully afraid怕得要死
• afraid">extraordinarily afraid特别害怕
• afraid">faint-heartedly afraid怕得毫无勇气
• afraid">foolishly afraid怕得非常愚蠢
• afraid">frightfully afraid非常害怕
• afraid">genuinely afraid真怕
• afraid">horribly afraid极其害怕
• afraid">idiotically afraid非常愚蠢地害怕,怕得荒唐
• afraid">incomprehensibly afraid莫名其妙地怕,怕得让人不可思议
• afraid">incredibly afraid怕得难以置信
• afraid">intensely afraid非常怕
• afraid">mortally afraid极其怕
• afraid">mysteriously afraid怕得让人费解
• afraid">nervously afraid非常紧张地怕,怕得让人不安
• afraid">obviously afraid很明显地怕
• afraid">oddly afraid怕得出奇
• afraid">perpetually afraid永远害怕
• afraid">queerly afraid怕得令人费解
• afraid">really afraid真怕
• afraid">secretly afraid暗自害怕
• afraid">starkly afraid怕得要命
• afraid">strangely afraid莫名其妙地害怕
• afraid">superstitiously afraid因迷信而害怕
• afraid">surprisingly afraid出人意料地害怕
• afraid">suspiciously afraid怕得疑神疑鬼
• afraid">temperamentally afraid怕得直发脾气
• afraid">terribly afraid非常害怕
• afraid">timidly afraid怕得令人胆小
• afraid">timorously afraid怕得令人胆小
• afraid">unquestionably afraid毫无疑问地怕
• afraid">unusually afraid异常地害怕
• afraid">unwontedly afraid异常地害怕

• afraid%20for%20sb_2Fsth">afraid for sb/sth为某人〔某事〕担心
• afraid%20of%20sth_2Fsb">afraid of sth/sb怕某事〔某人〕
• afraid%20of%20v%20-ing">afraid of v -ing怕做某事

• I was affraid of trampling on every traveller that I met.

  出自：Swift

• Willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike.

  出自：Pope

• I am afraid you do not like your pen.

  出自：J. Austen

• afraid lest the poetical spirit should be swept away.

  出自：G. H. Lewes

• A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned.

  出自：J. M. Synge

• I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker, And in short, I was afraid.

  出自：T. S. Eliot

• I was afraid..that my house was on fire.

  出自：Scott Fitzgerald

• Mother was afraid I should freeze in the Parisian hotels.

  出自：W. Stevens

交通

B：You haven’t (taken/ ridden/ been on) the bus before?
你以前没有（坐过/搭过/乘坐过）公车？

afraid的意思

A：No, I’mafraid not.
没有，恐怕没有坐过。

包装衬衣

A：How are the shirts packed?
衬衫怎样包装？

B：They're packed in cardboard boxes.
它们用纸板箱包装。

afraid什么意思

A：I'mafraid the cardboard boxes are not strong enough for ocean transportation.
我担心远洋运输用纸板箱不够结实。

请求帮助

A：Could you come and spend the weekend with us?
你能来跟我们一起共度周末吗？

B：Oh, I’mafraid I can’t. I’ve had a date already.
啊，恐怕不行。我已经有约在先了。

A：That’s too bad!
真是可惜！

B：Maybe some other time.
下次好啦。

1. afraid的基本含义是“害怕”,泛指一种恐惧心理,或者用于表示习惯的、经常的懦弱或怯弱,并带有因“畏惧”而行动不灵活或谈吐不顺畅之意。afraid也可表示“担忧”或“忧虑”某事物可能产生的后果,即“恐怕”。afraid还可以表示“担心”某人〔事物〕会遇到危险。
2. afraid是表语形容词,即一般不用在名词前面作定语。作“害怕”解时其后可接of (sb/sth/ v -ing)引起的短语,也可接动词不定式和that(常省略)从句,从句中的谓语动词常用虚拟式。作“担心”解时其后可接for引起的短语。
3. afraid在句中间或可用作宾语补足语。由afraid构成的形容词短语在句中还可用作状语。
4. I am afraid...是口语中常见的一种固定搭配(只用单数第一人称一般现在时)。可用来表示推测(suppose)、歉意(Excuse me…)、婉拒(I'm sorry but…)或者引出不好的消息(sorry to have to say)。其作用在于使语气婉转和缓。其位置可在句首,也可在句末。
5. 在回答别人问话时afraid后可用so或not替代问句中的肯定式或否定式宾语。
6. afraid不可用very修饰,但可用much或very much修饰。
7. afraid的比较级和最高级是more afraid和most afraid。

1. much afraid, very much afraid和very afraid都指“很害怕”，但因afraid是表语形容词，very afraid的表达方式不妥当。使用最普遍的是very much afraid，等同于afraid的定语形容词是frightened；
2. afraid后可加不定式，of和动名词，that或lest引导的从句：加不定式时，指“怕……”，如afraid to die指“怕死”，afraid to see him指“怕见他”。加of和动名词时，除了指“怕。。。”，还常指“恐怕将。。。”，如afraid of dying指“恐怕将死”或“怕死”，afraid of seeing him指“（不想见而）恐怕难免要见到他”或“怕见他”。that从句中，常省略开首的that。

   I am afraid (that) we shall be late.

3. I am afraid有时指“I am sorry”。

   I am afraid I cannot tell you.
   注意I am afraid不能单独代替I am sorry.

4. 不可用在名词名词前，如可以说John is afraid，或John is a frightened man，不可说John is an afraid man；
5. 在非正式表达方式下，be afraid要比fear使用得更普遍，如Don’t be afraid，而不是Don’t fear。

be afraid of v-ing, be afraid to-v

afraid 后面可接动名词(其前加of),也可接动词不定式,一般说,这两种说法的意思没有多少区别。例如：

I'm afraid of flying〔to fly〕.我害怕坐飞机。

I'm afraid of diving〔to dive〕 into the swimming-pool.我不想在游泳池里跳水。

He is afraid to see〔of seeing〕 you again.他怕再见到你。

有时这两种说法在含义上有差别,例如：

She was afraid of waking her husband up.

她怕吵醒丈夫。

She was afraid to wake her husband up.

她不敢喊醒丈夫。

前者的含义是“她不想打扰他,可能因为他病了或累了,需要休息”,而后者的含义则是“她不敢喊醒他,怕他生气”。前者注意的是“无意的后果”,后者注意的则是“有意的行为”。

正是因为有上述差别,所以,当谈论那些我们自己并不希望也不能决定而突然降临到我们头上的事情时,只能用 v -ing形式,而不能用不定式。例如：

I'm afraid of crashing.我害怕撞车。

如果说 I'm afraid to crash,则意味着“我不敢撞车。”再如：“我们害怕被抢劫。”只能说We are afraid of being robbed.“我不爱讲法语,因为我怕讲错。”只能说I don't like to speak French because I'm afraid of making mistakes.“我怕摔进游泳池里。”也只能说I'm afraid of falling into the swimming-pool.

be afraid of, be afraid for

这两个短语含义不同,前者的含义是“害怕”,后接的名词是令人害怕或具有危险的事物; 而后者的含义是“替…担心”,后接的名词是令人担心或处于危险之中的事物。试比较以下两组例子：

I am afraid of that old man.

我害怕那老头儿。

I am afraid for that old man.

我替那老头儿担心。

She was afraid of the job.

她害怕那工作。

She was afraid for her job.

她害怕失去工作。

afraid, fear

这两个词都是“害怕”的意思。其区别是：

1.afraid 是形容词, fear是动词(也可作名词)。be afraid of=fear, be afraid of v -ing = fear to- v 。例如：

There is nothing to fear〔to be afraid of〕.没有什么好怕的。

I fear offending him.〔I am afraid of offending him.〕我怕得罪他。

We are not afraid of difficulties.〔We fear no difficulty.〕我们不怕困难。

2.在非正式场合, be afraid (of)比fear常用得多。例如：

Are you afraid of the dark?天这么黑了,你害怕吗?

虽然Do you fear the dark?也是可以的,但是在口语里不大这么说。

afraid, frightened

这两个词都是“害怕”的意思。其区别是：

1.afraid是形容词,或泛指一种恐惧心理,或用于习惯的、经常的“惧怕”; frightened是过去分词用作形容词,故仍保存着强烈的动作意味,表示为某一突然的特殊事物所“吓着”。例如：

She was frightened by a strange noise outside the window.她被窗外一声怪叫吓了一跳。

The boy was almost frightened out of his life.那小孩被吓得魂不附体。

She was very much frightened at the sight of the traffic accident.她一看到那次交通事故,心里害怕极了。

The child was frightened by the thunder and started to cry.这孩子被雷声吓得哭起来了。

2.afraid一般只作表语; 而frightened既可作表语,又可作定语。例如：

a frightened child受惊的孩子

a frightened bird一只受惊的小鸟

3.搭用的介词也有所不同, afraid后只能用of; 而frightened后除可用of外,还可用at, by, about。例如：

frightened of dogs怕狗

frightened at〔by〕 the arrival of the police害怕警察的到来

frightened about difficulty怕困难

4.frightened后可接by短语,而afraid则不能。

5.frightened后可接表示程度的介词短语作状语,而afraid则不能。例如:

frightened to death被吓死

frightened out of one's life吓得要命

frightened into submission被吓得屈服了

afraid, awful, fearful, frightful, horrible, scared, terrible

这组词都有“可怕的”“害怕的”意思。其区别在于:afraid泛指一种“恐惧心理”,多用于习惯地、经常地“惧怕”; awful指由于过分的崇敬或畏惧而引起的害怕,但不厌恶,有较庄严的含义; fearful指预感到危险、失败或麻烦时而恐惧,也指担心可能发生的结果,侧重于主体的心里感觉,而与外界关系不大; scared主要指因身心遭受伤害而恐惧,也指不明根源的无形恐惧; frightful指巨大的或令人意外的事件给人带来的害怕或惊骇; terrible和horrible都可指感情上的厌恶,令人感到不舒服, horrible更甚,指碰到的怪诞的、丑陋的、危险的事物或道德上腐败堕落的行为所引起的强烈的情绪波动,还特指依靠恐怖的或可怕的事物取得吓人的效果。例如:

We are afraid to walk in the park at night since the woman was killed there.我们害怕夜里在那公园里走路,因为那个女人是在那儿被害的。

The old man believed that God has an awful power.这位老人相信上帝具有令人敬畏的能力。

The playwright was fearful that the opening night would be a failure.剧作家担心首场演出会失败。

Frightful earthquakes occur somewhere on the earth every year.每年地球上常不定期在什么地方发生可怕的地震。

A horrible sight met her eyes.一幅令人毛骨悚然的景象出现在她的眼前。

Nothing can erase from her mind the memory of that terrible day.没有什么东西可以消除她头脑里对那可怕的一天的记忆。

I am afraid,I regret

这两者在有些句子里(例如都用作表示道歉的客气话时)意思上和语气上没有明显的差别,可以互换。例如：

I am afraid〔I regret〕 that I shall not be able to attend the party.我恐怕不能参加这次聚会〔很遗憾,我不能参加这次聚会〕。

但一般情况下,这两者在含义上还是多少有些差别的。I am afraid...表示说话人多少有些不情愿的情绪,而I regret则重在表示说话人感到遗憾的心理。例如：

I am afraid she didn't tell the truth.

我恐怕她没有说实话。

I regret that she didn't tell the truth.

很遗憾她没有说实话。

前者的含义是“我并不愿意把这一点说穿”,后者的含义是“她应该说实话,遗憾的是她并没有这样做”。

下面的句子具有两种含义：

He was afraid of dying.

他怕死。

他恐怕将会死。

下面两个句子的含义不同：

They shouted to me to jump the ditch but I was afraid.

他们叫我跳过壕沟,可是我不敢。

They shouted to me to jump the ditch but I was afraid to.

他们叫我跳过壕沟,可是我不敢跳。

afraid，fearful，awful，dreadful，frightful，terrible，horrible，terrific，appalling

这些形容词均含“害怕的、可怕的”之意。

afraid指由于胆小或怯懦而不敢说或做某事。

fearful普通用词，既指外界情况变化而引起的恐惧，又指来自内心的害怕与焦虑。

awful指威严得令人害怕或敬畏，有一定的感情色彩。

dreadful指使人非常恐惧，毛骨悚然，也使人感到讨厌而退缩。

frightful指使人陷入短暂的惊恐或产生毛骨悚然的感觉。

terrible侧重指给人以长久的惊骇，极端的恐怖，令人难以忍受。

horrible指因骇人听闻的丑恶而令人毛骨悚然，着重厌恶的成分多于害怕。

terrific多指外表、形状或力量等的可怕。

appalling指既令害怕又使人惊异、胆寒。

我怕狗。

误 I afraid of dogs.

正 I am afraid of dogs.

析 afraid虽具有动作意义,但切不可把afraid误用作动词。

他非常害怕迟到。

误 He was very afraid of being late.

正 He was much afraid of being late.

析 afraid表示“很害怕”时,可以加much修饰,但不可加very。不过,在much afraid之前却可以再加very进一步加强语气,特别是在I'm afraid 相当于I'm sorry 时,更常用very much修饰。例如：

I'm very much afraid he's out.非常抱歉,他不在家。我比你更怕他。

误 I am afraider of him than you.

正 I am more afraid of him than you.

他的儿子中小的最怕黑。

误 The youngest of his sons is afraidest of dark.

正 The youngest of his sons is most afraid of dark.

析 afraid不可加-er,-est构成比较级和最高级。

• ☆ 15世纪初期进入英语，直接源自盎格鲁法语的afrayer，意为惊恐；最初源自古法语的esfreer。