There are many words and expressions for talking about fear.
Words
afraid: "Are you afraid of the dark?"
frightened: "I'm frightened of spiders."
scared: "He's scared of making mistakes."
feel uneasy: "I felt a bit uneasy when I walked home in the dark."
spooked: "My cats are easily spooked before a thunderstorm."
terrified: "She was absolutely terrified when she heard the noise."
petrified: "The building began to shake and we were all petrified."
Expressions
a terrifying ordeal
send shivers down my spine
give me goosebumps (goosebumps are when you skin has little bumps on it)
make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up (dogs also do this when they are scared)
scare the hell out of me
be scared shitless / shit scared (British slang – vulgar)
be bricking it (British slang – vulgar)
frighten the life out of me
shake with fear
jump out of my skin
Examples
One of the best horror films I have seen is "The Blair Witch Project". It tells the story of a terrifying ordeal in the woods of northern USA. Some of the scenes in the film sent shivers down my spine, especially the one when the students run out of the tent in the middle of the night. When they go back, one of the guy's rucksack has been emptied. When that same guy goes missing the next day, it gives you goosebumps.
There are some fabulous sound effects, especially the ones of the wind blowing and howling. When you hear the crying voices at the end of the film, it will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
Perhaps the scariest part of the film is at the end, when you see one of the surviving students literally shake with fear in the corner of the basement. It certainly frightened the life out of the girl when she saw him, and I jumped out of my skin at the end when the camera stopped filming. The film scared the hell out of me for weeks afterwards, and I'm ashamed to say that I wouldn't go into an empty room in the house unless there was someone there with me.
61 comments on “Talking about fear”
examples for the fear expressions are very good and i m very glad to find such good and decent site foe english learning.
what the difference between petrified and terrified and where do we use them.
They both mean the same thing, but we generally use "terrified".
I learnt some new words in this part. I like this part.
it just what i need >> thanks
it is very usefull ~ thanks
what is the meaning of terrifying ordeal? give me more sentences
tinks » It means that you have a very frightening experience that continued for a long time.
"The hostages talked about their terrifying ordeal in the jungle."
"The burglars broke into the house and subjected the owner to a terrifying ordeal for five hours."
It's very useful for me!thanks!
I AM FRIGHTEN OF DOG AND I AM SCARE OF DOG. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENT?
bigyananda » Both "frightened of" and "scared of" mean the same thing.
Can we use the expression ,,give me goosebumbs" when we talk about cold? For example:,, I am cold, it gives me goosembumbs?
Vesna » We can say "give me goosebumps" but it means something is so unusual or a little scary that our skin feels cold.
very informative site. main thing that i liked abt this site is answering the queries raised by the readers. these queries are abt the sentences dat we use in our day 2 day life, so these help a lot 2 a common man.. :):)
what is the difference between "terrified & petrified
faisal » None – they both mean very scared.
Is there any difference between "afraid of", frightened of" & "scared of"? Please give examples.
simi » No – they all mean the same.
good website for english learners.
very good for those who find dificulty in using synonyms,and i m happy;0}
what is the difference between petrified & terrified ?
They both mean the same – that you are very scared.
cool!!!!!
I'm learning from it..
tnx..
realy thanks this very nice
It is very useful site for learining english
thanks
what's the meaning of "jumped out of my skin "?
It means you were so scared or shocked that you jumped. The fear was so sudden it was like you jumped out of your skin.
very impressive.
It would be a good site for learing english.
A good story, a good expression.
what's the meaning of spooked and when can I use it
It means that you feel strange about something – you don't feel right or good about it. For example, you go into a deserted house in the middle of nowhere, but you find blankets on the ground. There's nobody there and you don't know if somebody is using the house or if the blankets have been there for a long time. Afterwards, when you think about the house, you feel spooked, and a bit uneasy.
never heard of petrified before especially back in our country , thanks alot !
Awesome This site Really doing A Great Job – I'm Very Thankful 2 U Esapecally The Owner Ms.Clare Of This Site – Have A Gud day 2 U.
i fell that it very usuful for everyonr.it really important.
Hi Claire…Is it a right sentence…"he doesn't scare of anything".
use of something and anything in the conversation is right or not. Like…"Say something" , " I haven't said anything".
Use of "anything" is fine, but the rest of the sentence should be "He isn't scared of anything".
what is the different between scear and fear
to scare someone = verb
to be scared = adjective
fear = noun
thanks~~~~
i have learn new words here~~~~
It's so great. I've learn a lot of new vocabulary and expressions from this lessons. Thanks for your enthusiastic replies, Clare.
Hi Clare.
Can i say this…
I am having goosebumps watching the horror films.
"I've got goosebumps" rather than "having goosebumps". But you generally get goosebumps when you see or watch something awesome (miraculous / unexpected) than when you're scared.
Hi Clare
This is the great ideato become more confident about speaking
im scared of the dark!
help.
I learn a lot from this lesson and the replies. I am glad to communicate with so many people.
is this right?
i was scared when i looked her face ..
… when I looked at her face.
hey.Clare.I'm scared of speaking english in public,I don't know why.just so neverous .Help
The only thing you can really do is practise. Try speaking with friends first, so you feel more confident, then in other situations. Don't worry about making mistakes – we all do – all the time!
i open this site first time ……..I really like this site
Hi. It's so useful. Could you say me the meaning of "send shivers down my skin", and when is it used? Pleaase give me an example. Thanks.
Actually, it's "send shivers down my back" and it means that something makes you frightened.
the story is so terrify. in the end of story it make feel so fear and be frightened. thank you for story
that make me learn more english skill.
the way of presentation and expresson of the actual meaning of the words in certain context are very impresive.
Fear is a strong emotion,It happens to me especialy when I don't have the courage to be the person I want to be and do the things I want to do .
Would you like to tell me the meaning of 'be bricking it & scare the hell out of me' and the situations that they can be used in. many thanks
They're informal expressions to describe feeling frightened.
it's very useful but what is different between terrified and petrified?
sometmies i sit in my bed shaking.
i am so scared of the dark.
sometimes i cry myself to sleep.
your last email wasnt helpful.
help me pleae
im 15 and still scared.
They mean the same thing.
life is very beautiful don,t waste it
How about "Gives me the creeps" or "Creeps me out"? Is that an expression of fear? Is it too vulgar?
"Gives me the creeps" seems more about fear than "creeps me out". which (for me) means disgusts me or makes me feel a bit sick inside.
"He creeps me out" = I don't like being around him – he makes me feel uncomfortable.
