| A |
Afraid to (do) and afraid of (do)ing
I am afraid to do something = I don't want to do it because it is dangerous or the result could be bad.
We use afraid to do for things we do intentionally; we can choose to do them or not:
- This part of town is dangerous. People are afraid to walk here at night.
(= they don't want to walk here because it is dangerous - so they don't)
- James was afraid to tell his parents what had happened.
(= he didn't want to tell them because he knew they would be angry or worried)
I am afraid of something happening = it is possible that something bad will happen (for example, an accident).
We do not use afraid of -ing for things we do intentionally:
- The path was icy, so we walked very carefully. We were afraid of falling.
(= it was possible that we would fall - not we were afraid to fall)
- I don't like dogs. I'm always afraid of being bitten. (not afraid to be bitten)
So, you are afraid to do something because you are afraid of something happening as a result:
- I was afraid to go near the dog because I was afraid of being bitten.
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| B |
Interested in (do)ing and interested to (do)
I'm interested in doing something = I'm thinking of doing it, I would like to do it:
- Let me know if you're interested in joining the club. (not to join)
- I tried to sell my car, but nobody was interested in buying it. (not to buy)
We use interested to ... to say how somebody reacts to what they hear/see/read/learn/ know/find.
For example, 'I was interested to hear it' = I heard it and it was interesting for me:
- I was interested to hear that Tanya left her job.
- Ask Mike for his opinion. I would be interested to know what he thinks. (= it would be interesting for me to know it)
This structure is the same as surprised to ... / glad to ... etc. (see Unit 65C):
- I was surprised to hear that Tanya left her job.
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| C |
Sorry to (do) and sorry for/about (do)ing
We use sorry to ... to say we regret something that happens (see Unit 65C):
- I was sorry to hear that Nicky lost her job. (= I was sorry when I heard that ... )
- I've enjoyed my stay here. I'll be sorry to leave.
We also say sorry to ... to apologise at the time we do something:
- I'm sorry to phone you so late, but I need to ask you something.
You can use sorry for or sorry about (doing something) to apologise for something you did before:
- I'm sorry for (or about) shouting at you yesterday. (not sorry to shout)
You can also say:
- I'm sorry I shouted at you yesterday.
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| D |
We say:
| I want to (do) / I'd like to (do) |
but I'm thinking of (do)ing / I dream of (do)ing |
| I failed to (do) |
but I succeeded in (do)ing |
| I allowed them to (do) |
but
I prevented them from (do)ing
I stopped them from (do)ing |
For examples, see Units 54-55 and 62.
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