dreading

IPA/dred/
KK[drˈɛdɪŋ]IPA/dred/

dreading — 動詞

  • 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

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

害怕；憂懼

對將發生的事感到極度擔心

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.

例句

Sven dreaded the phone call from his boss all afternoon.

Sven 整個下午都在害怕老闆打來的那通電話。

dread + noun phrase (direct object)

Ayesha dreaded going to the dentist because of the pain she had last time.

Ayesha 害怕去看牙醫，因為上次痛得很厲害。

dread + gerund (-ing form)

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞

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

❌I am dreading to meet him.
✅I am dreading meeting him.
💡After 'dread' (and 'dreading'), use the gerund (-ing form), not the to-infinitive.

2. This expression introduces an indirect question (what, how, where, etc.) when yo

2.動詞B2
釋義

不敢想

因太糟而不願去想像

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.

例句

I dread to think what the car repair will cost after such a bad accident.

撞得這麼嚴重，我簡直不敢想修車費要多少錢。

fixed expression: 'I dread to think what…'

Nila dreaded to think how her parents would react to the news.

Nila 不敢想像父母聽到這個消息會有多生氣。

同義詞

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

❌I dread to think about the exam.
✅I dread to think what the exam will be like.
💡This expression requires an indirect question (what, how, where, etc.), not a simple noun phrase.

dreading — 名詞