Notes on usage: Frighten

Scare - Alarm - Terrify

 

These words all mean to make sb afraid.

 

Frighten to make sb feel afraid, often suddenly: He brought out a gun and frightened them off.
Scare to make sb feel afraid: They managed to scare the bears away.
Alarm to make sb anxious or afraid: It alarms me that nobody takes this problem seriously. Remember that alarm is used when sb has a feeling that sth unpleasant or dangerous might happen in the future; the feeling is often more one of worry than actual fear.
Terrify to make sb feel extremely afraid: Flying terrified her.

 

FRIGHTEN OR SCARE?
Scare is slightly more informal than frighten.

 

PATTERNS
*to frighten/scare sb/sth away/off
*to frighten/scare/terrify sb into doing sth
*It frightens/scares/alarms/terrifies me that...
*It frightens/scares/alarms/terrifies me to think, see, etc.

 

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Top Tips Abz Ingles - Notes on usage - Synonyms
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See also:

Common Phrasal Verbs	Irregular Verbs List
Common Sentences Errors	Frequently confused words
Common Clichés	Thematic list of Idioms
Common misspellings	Phrasal Verbs Particles list
Common Preposition	Lista de Términos Gramaticales

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