afraid
part of speech
adjective (afraid; only after a verb: be afraid, feel afraid)
meaning for a pupil
1) Afraid means feeling fear, scared that something bad might happen. tree →
2) Afraid of something means scared of it: afraid of the dark. tree →
3) «I'm afraid» is a polite way to say something sorry or disappointing: I'm afraid we are closed. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: The Torah often says "fear not" or "be not afraid," usually when God or Moses reassures people. It also names fear of God, meaning awe. Interpretation: Tradition distinguishes plain fear from "yirah," reverent awe before God. Rabbis noted that "fear not" is said many times, to encourage trust. In the primary lessons: In feelings lessons, being afraid is normal and helps keep you safe; talk to a trusted adult about fears. In stories, an afraid character often has to find courage. Polite speech: «I'm afraid I can't come» softens bad news. Phrases: afraid of, afraid to, afraid that, I'm afraid so, I'm afraid not.
examples
- Then Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed. (Torah GEN.32.7, JPS 1917) tree →
- Then Sarah denied, saying: 'I laughed not'; for she was afraid. (Torah GEN.18.15, JPS 1917) tree →
- Then I said unto you: 'Dread not, neither be afraid of them. (Torah DEU.1.29, JPS 1917) tree →
- For now ye are become His; ye see a terror, and are afraid. (Writings JOB.6.21, JPS 1917) tree →
- And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. (Prophets 1SA.7.7, JPS 1917) tree →
- Withdraw Thy hand far from me; and let not Thy terror make me afraid. (Writings JOB.13.21, JPS 1917) tree →
- I am afraid of spiders. tree →
- Don't be afraid, it is only the wind. tree →
- She was afraid to jump into the deep end. tree →
- I'm afraid the shop is closed. tree →
- The puppy was afraid of the thunder. tree →
- Are you afraid of the dark? tree →
- «Is it raining?» «I'm afraid so.» tree →
- He was afraid that he would miss the bus. tree →
- She was afraid, and didn't stir. tree →
note
Used after the verb: «The boy is afraid», not «the afraid boy» (say «the frightened boy» or «the scared boy»). Use «afraid of», not «afraid from». In «I'm afraid…» the speaker is often not scared at all, just polite.
In the corpora
- Then Sarah denied, saying: 'I laughed not'; for she was afraid.
- (32-8) Then Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed.
- Then I said unto you: 'Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
- And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
- And when Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «afraid» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.