dread

dread — 動詞

1. to experience strong fear or worry about something that you expect to happen, es

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

害怕;畏懼

對將要發生的事感到強烈擔心或害怕

to experience strong fear or worry about something that you expect to happen, especially something unpleasant

例句

Élise dreaded her driving test because she had not practiced enough.

Élise 害怕考駕照,因為她練習得不夠多。

dread + noun object for a specific feared event

Many students dread taking exams at the end of the school year.

許多學生害怕學年結束時參加考試。

dread + -ing form of verb

同義詞
  • fear

    more general; 'fear' can refer to any level of anxiety while 'dread' implies stronger, more persistent worry

  • be terrified of

    emphasizes extreme fear, while 'dread' focuses more on anxious anticipation

  • be afraid of

    broader and less intense than 'dread', which carries a sense of prolonged worry

反義詞

文法句型

dread + noun

dread + -ing

dread + that-clause

用法筆記

Can be followed by a noun object (dread + something), an -ing form (dread doing something), or a that-clause (dread that something will happen). The -ing form is the most common pattern in everyday speech.

常見錯誤

I dread to go to the dentist.
I dread going to the dentist.
💡The verb 'dread' is followed by an -ing form, not a to-infinitive, when expressing fear of doing something.

2. said when you avoid imagining or considering a situation because the truth might

2.動詞B2
釋義

不敢想像

因情況可能太糟而不願去想

said when you avoid imagining or considering a situation because the truth might be very unpleasant

例句

"I dread to think what the city will look like after the flood," said the mayor.

市長說:「我不敢想像洪水過後這座城市會變成什麼樣子。」

dread to think + wh-clause (fixed expression)

Harper dreaded to think how much the car repairs would cost.

Harper 不敢想像修車費要花多少錢。

同義詞

文法句型

dread to think + wh-clause

dread to think + what/how much

用法筆記

Only used with the verbs 'think' or 'imagine' in the fixed pattern 'dread to think/imagine + wh-clause'. Cannot be used with other to-infinitive verbs (*I dread to go, *I dread to see).

常見錯誤

I dread to consider what will happen.
I dread to think what will happen.
💡Only 'think' and 'imagine' work in this fixed expression; other verbs sound unnatural.

dread — 名詞

dread — 形容詞