scare

Use this word when describing feelings of fear.

As a verb, it looks like this:

• The thunder and lightning scared the children.
• Did the tornado scare you?
• This movie will scare a lot of people.
• That strange man scares me.

As an adjective, you have two choices: "scared" or "scary."

• Why does she have that scared look on her face?
• They look very scared. What’s wrong?
• Nightmare on Elm Street is a scary movie.
• That geometry test was scary. ("Scary" sometimes means "difficult," "unusual," or "weird.")
• Sheila’s hair looks kind of scary today.
• Who’s that scary guy that lives in the old house down the street?

Sometimes "scare" is used as a noun:

• I had a scare last week when I went to the doctor and found out that my blood pressure was way to high. (a scare = a frightening result, often related to one’s personal health and well being.)
• This will put a scare into you. (This will frighten you.)

A note to other teachers: It always surprises me to learn how many of my students don’t know this word. They know "afraid" or "fear," but they don’t know "scare" or "scary."

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June 23, 2014