Explanation at your level:
To scare means to make someone feel afraid. Imagine a big dog barking at you. You feel scared! You can say, 'The dog scared me.' It is a simple way to talk about fear.
You use scare when you want to describe a sudden feeling of fear. If you watch a horror movie, it might scare you. You can also use it as a noun, like 'a health scare,' which means a time when people were worried about their health.
The word scare is very common in daily English. We use it to talk about making someone jump or feel nervous. It is often used with prepositions like 'off' or 'away.' For example, 'The noise scared the birds away.' It is a useful word for describing reactions to sudden events.
In B2 English, scare is used to describe both emotional reactions and public situations. It is frequently used in idiomatic phrases like 'scare the wits out of someone.' It is also used in professional contexts, such as 'market scares' or 'security scares,' to describe moments of collective anxiety.
At the C1 level, scare can be used in more nuanced ways. You might describe a 'scare' as a catalyst for change or a warning sign. It carries a sense of urgency. Writers often use it to convey the psychological impact of a threat, distinguishing it from mere 'worry' by emphasizing the suddenness and intensity of the experience.
Mastery of scare involves understanding its etymological roots and its role in idiomatic and figurative language. It is used to describe not just personal fear, but the manipulation of public opinion through 'scare-mongering.' Its usage in literature often highlights the visceral, primitive nature of fear, contrasting it with more intellectual forms of dread or apprehension.
Palavra em 30 segundos
- Scare means to cause fear.
- It is a regular verb.
- It is a countable noun.
- Use 'scary' for adjectives.
When you use the word scare, you are talking about the feeling of being afraid. It is a very common word in English because fear is a natural human reaction to things that seem dangerous or strange.
As a verb, you might say, 'Don't scare the cat!' which means don't make the cat jump or run away. As a noun, you might hear about a 'bomb scare' on the news, which is a situation where people were afraid because they thought something bad might happen.
It is important to remember that scare is usually about a sudden reaction. If you are worried about something for a long time, we might use words like 'anxious' or 'concerned' instead.
The word scare has a very interesting history! It comes from the Old Norse word skirra, which meant to frighten or to drive away.
It arrived in English around the 13th century. Back then, it was closely related to the idea of being 'startled' or 'shaken.' Over time, it evolved from just meaning 'to drive away' into the broader sense of causing someone to feel fear.
It is related to other Germanic words that deal with sudden movements or fright. Interestingly, it has replaced many older English words for fear, becoming the standard term we use in daily life today.
You will hear scare used in many different ways. In casual conversation, we often say 'That scared me!' when someone sneaks up on us.
In more formal or journalistic contexts, it is used to describe public situations. For example, a 'health scare' is a common phrase in newspapers when people are worried about a potential illness spreading.
Common collocations include 'scare someone off,' 'scare the living daylights out of someone,' and 'a major scare.' It is a versatile word that works well in both informal and semi-formal settings.
1. Scare the daylights out of someone: To frighten someone very badly. Example: 'The loud thunder scared the daylights out of me.'
2. Scare someone off: To make someone decide not to do something because they are afraid. Example: 'The high price scared off potential buyers.'
3. A close scare: A situation where something bad almost happened. Example: 'That car accident was a real close scare.'
4. Scare tactic: A method used to persuade someone by making them afraid. Example: 'The company used scare tactics to sell security systems.'
5. Scare up: To find or gather something with difficulty. Example: 'I will try to scare up some extra chairs for the guests.'
The word scare is a regular verb. Its past tense and past participle form is scared. As a noun, it is countable, so you can have 'a scare' or 'several scares.'
The IPA pronunciation is /skɛər/ in both British and American English. It rhymes with words like care, bear, fair, hair, and stare.
The stress is always on the single syllable. When using it as a verb, it is almost always followed by an object, like 'He scared the dog.' It is a very straightforward word grammatically!
Fun Fact
It replaced older English words like 'afear' which are no longer used.
Pronunciation Guide
Rhymes with air
Rhymes with air
Common Errors
- Pronouncing the 'c' as 's'
- Adding an extra syllable
- Confusing with 'scar'
Rhymes With
Difficulty Rating
easy
moderate
easy
easy
What to Learn Next
Prerequisites
Learn Next
Avançado
Grammar to Know
Past simple verbs
scared
Adjective formation
scary
Countable nouns
a scare
Examples by Level
The dog scared me.
The dog / made me afraid
Verb + object
Don't scare the baby.
Do not / frighten / the baby
Imperative
I had a scare.
I / experienced / a moment of fear
Noun usage
It was a big scare.
It / was / a big / fright
Article + noun
Did it scare you?
Did / it / frighten / you?
Question form
He is scared.
He / is / afraid
Adjective form
She scared the cat.
She / frightened / the cat
Past tense
No more scares.
No / more / frights
Plural noun
The loud noise scared everyone.
I had a health scare last year.
Don't try to scare me!
The spider scared her.
It was just a little scare.
The movie was designed to scare the audience.
He was scared of the dark.
The sudden movement scared the deer.
The economic crisis caused a market scare.
I managed to scare up some dinner from the leftovers.
The ghost story really scared us.
She was scared off by the high costs.
It was a close scare for the mountain climbers.
Don't let the difficulty scare you away.
The sudden siren scared the neighborhood.
He had a major scare during his hike.
The politician used scare tactics to win votes.
The news of the virus caused a widespread scare.
I was scared stiff when I saw the snake.
The company is trying not to scare off investors.
It was a false scare, but we were still worried.
He scared the wits out of me by jumping out.
The report highlights the potential for a global scare.
Don't be scared of making mistakes in English.
The sudden dip in stocks led to a brief market scare.
His rhetoric was nothing more than a blatant scare tactic.
The incident served as a wake-up call, a real scare.
Investors were scared off by the volatility of the market.
She felt a sense of existential scare during the storm.
The government's scare campaign was highly controversial.
He was scared into compliance by the threats.
The sheer intensity of the scare left him breathless.
The public's susceptibility to such scare-mongering is alarming.
The narrative was a calculated effort to induce a moral scare.
Despite the initial scare, the project proceeded as planned.
The psychological residue of the scare lingered for years.
He was scared out of his wits by the sudden revelation.
The market was prone to every minor scare.
Her reaction was a visceral, unadulterated scare.
The historical context of the 'Red Scare' is fascinating.
Colocações comuns
Idioms & Expressions
"scare the living daylights out of"
to terrify someone
The ghost story scared the living daylights out of me.
casual"scare someone off"
to discourage someone
The high rent scared off potential tenants.
neutral"scare up"
to find something
Can you scare up some lunch?
casual"scare stiff"
to be extremely afraid
I was scared stiff during the plane flight.
casual"scare tactic"
using fear to influence
Don't listen to his scare tactics.
neutral"a close scare"
a narrow escape
That was a close scare on the highway.
neutralEasily Confused
similar spelling
a mark on skin vs. fear
He has a scar from the scare.
related word
adjective vs verb
The scary dog scared me.
past tense
adjective vs verb
I am scared of the scare.
participle
continuous action
He is scaring everyone.
Sentence Patterns
Subject + scared + object
The movie scared me.
Subject + got + a + scare
I got a scare.
Subject + scared + away + object
He scared away the thief.
Subject + was + scared + into + verb-ing
He was scared into leaving.
Subject + used + scare + tactics
They used scare tactics.
Família de palavras
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Relacionado
How to Use It
8
Formality Scale
Erros comuns
It is an idiom, but don't take it literally.
Use the past participle as an adjective.
Needs past tense marker.
Possessive structure is better.
Use 'scary' for the adjective.
Tips
Memory Palace
Imagine a ghost in your room.
Native Speakers
Use it for sudden events.
Cultural Insight
Used often in Halloween.
Grammar Shortcut
Scare + object.
Say It Right
Focus on the 'air' sound.
Don't Make This Mistake
Don't use 'scare' as an adjective.
Did You Know?
It has Norse roots.
Study Smart
Use flashcards.
Register
Use 'frighten' for formal writing.
Verb Patterns
Scare + into/out of.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
S-C-A-R-E: Suddenly Causing A Real Emotion.
Visual Association
A jack-o'-lantern face.
Word Web
Desafio
Use 'scare' in three sentences today.
Origem da palavra
Old Norse
Original meaning: to frighten or drive away
Contexto cultural
Avoid using 'scare' in professional medical contexts; use 'concern' instead.
Commonly used in media to describe public panics.
Practice in Real Life
Real-World Contexts
at school
- scared of the test
- a school scare
at home
- scared of the dark
- don't scare me
news
- health scare
- market scare
movies
- scary movie
- jump scare
Conversation Starters
"What is something that scares you?"
"Have you ever had a health scare?"
"Do you like scary movies?"
"What is the scariest thing you have seen?"
"How do you calm down after being scared?"
Journal Prompts
Describe a time you were scared.
Why do people enjoy scary movies?
Write about a childhood fear.
How do you handle sudden fear?
Perguntas frequentes
8 perguntasIt is both.
Scary.
Like 'care' with an 's'.
No, say 'I am scared'.
To drive away.
It is neutral.
Scares.
No, it rhymes with air.
Teste-se
The loud noise ___ me.
Past tense is needed.
Which word means 'causing fear'?
Scary is the adjective.
You can have 'a scare'.
It is a countable noun.
Word
Significado
These are common idioms.
Idiom structure.
Pontuação: /5
Summary
Scare is a versatile word for describing sudden fear or moments of alarm.
- Scare means to cause fear.
- It is a regular verb.
- It is a countable noun.
- Use 'scary' for adjectives.
Memory Palace
Imagine a ghost in your room.
Native Speakers
Use it for sudden events.
Cultural Insight
Used often in Halloween.
Grammar Shortcut
Scare + object.
