Afraid of means feeling fear of someone or something. After of, use a noun or a verb with -ing: afraid of heights, afraid of losing my job. Afraid is an adjective, so it needs the verb be: I'm afraid, she was afraid.
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be afraid of + noun/-ing; be afraid to + verb; I'm afraid (that) + clause
- My neighbour's little boy is afraid of dogs, even very small ones.
- Many students are afraid of making mistakes when they speak English in class.
- I was afraid to open the email with my exam results.
What changed
First versionMy daughter is afraid from the dark.
RevisionMy daughter is afraid of the dark.
From can seem logical because fear makes you want to get away from something, as in hide from or run away from. But after afraid, the thing you fear is introduced with of, so from was replaced with of. Afraid for also exists, but it means fearing for someone: I'm afraid for his safety.
There is also a polite I'm afraid without of, meaning unfortunately: I'm afraid the museum is closed today. There is no fear here; it is a gentle way to give bad news. And afraid to + verb means not daring to do something: I was afraid to ask.
Your turn
I ___ of flying, so I usually take the train when I visit my parents.
Show the answer
am afraid — Afraid is an adjective, like happy or tired, so without am the sentence has no verb. The option without am treats afraid as if it were a verb like fear, but it is not.
Write about something you were afraid of as a child. Name the fear and say whether you still have it.
As a child, I was afraid of big dogs, but that fear has gone: now I have a golden retriever of my own.
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