ENGLISH
REFERENCE

worried about sb/sth

prep. phr..
A2 Elementary Oxford

prep. phr.. to feel unhappy or nervous because you are thinking about problems or unpleasant things that might happen.

prep. phr.. an adjectival phrase expressing anxiety or apprehension regarding a specific person, object, or situation.


SIMPLE

I am worried about my exam tomorrow.

CONTEXTUAL

She is very worried about her father's health after his recent stay in the hospital.

COMPLEX

Economists remain deeply worried about the long-term effects of inflation on the purchasing power of middle-income households.

Usage

the adjective 'worried' is almost always followed by the preposition 'about' when identifying the cause of anxiety.

Teaching tip

help students distinguish between the state ('to be worried about') and the action ('to worry about'); the former describes a feeling while the latter describes the process of thinking.

Pitfall

I am worried for my car.I am worried about my car.while 'worried for' is sometimes used for people's safety, 'worried about' is the standard pattern for general concerns and objects.

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