dreading
dreading — verb
- dreadingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- dreadings3rd person singular
- dreadinging-ing form
- dreadingedpast simple
1. When you dread a future event, you feel very nervous or scared just thinking abo
When you dread a future event, you feel very nervous or scared just thinking about it — for example, an exam, a visit to the hospital, or having to give bad news.
Sven dreaded the phone call from his boss all afternoon.
dread + noun phrase (direct object)
Ayesha dreaded going to the dentist because of the pain she had last time.
dread + gerund (-ing form)
The whole team dreaded what the manager would say about the lost contract.
Kabir dreaded the moment when he would have to admit the mistake.
Lara dreaded her grandmother's reaction to the broken vase.
- fear
broader; can describe both immediate and future fright; less intense
- be terrified of
expresses stronger fear that may be ongoing, not just about a specific future event
- be anxious about
focuses on nervous worry rather than fear; softer in tone
- look forward to
to feel happy and excited about a future event
文法句型
dread + noun/pronoun
dread + -ing verb
dread + that-clause (rare)
dread + wh-clause
用法筆記
By far the most common sense. Often followed by a gerund ('I dread going to work'). Can also take a direct object ('She dreaded the test') or a wh-clause ('He dreaded what they might find'). The that-clause is rare and formal. Note: the present participle form 'dreading' is not used as an attributive adjective before nouns; for an adjective meaning 'causing fear', use 'dreadful' or 'dreaded' instead.
常見錯誤
2. This expression introduces an indirect question (what, how, where, etc.) when yo
This expression introduces an indirect question (what, how, where, etc.) when you prefer not to picture a situation because imagining it would be too upsetting.
I dread to think what the car repair will cost after such a bad accident.
fixed expression: 'I dread to think what…'
Nila dreaded to think how her parents would react to the news.
The soldiers dreaded to think what conditions awaited them at the mountain camp.
I dread to think how much damage the storm caused to the coastal villages.
- I hate to imagine
slightly less formal; carries the same meaning of unwillingness to picture something bad
- I'm afraid to think
focuses on fear rather than unwillingness to imagine
文法句型
I dread to think + what/where/how much/who
用法筆記
Nearly always appears in the first-person singular ('I dread to think') or, less commonly, with other subjects + 'dreaded to think' (past tense). The phrase must be followed by an indirect question — 'what', 'how', 'how much', 'where', 'who'.
常見錯誤
dreading — noun
1. a very strong feeling of worry or fear about something unpleasant that is going
a very strong feeling of worry or fear about something unpleasant that is going to happen or might happen in the future.
A cold feeling of dread washed over Ryan when he saw the police car outside.
collocation: feeling of dread
Eli lived in constant dread of failing his final exams and disappointing his family.
pattern: in dread of [something]
The villagers watched the rising river with growing dread.
Mark could not hide the dread in his voice when he mentioned the surgery.
A sense of dread filled the classroom before the test results were announced.
- fear
more general; can apply to any frightening thing, not just future events
- anxiety
focuses on nervous worry rather than intense fear
- apprehension
more formal; a mild sense of worry about something specific
- calm
a state without fear or worry
文法句型
dread + of + noun/gerund
用法筆記
Usually uncountable ('She was filled with dread'). The singular form 'a dread' is possible but less common ('A dread of the unknown').