like we were afraid vs like we were afraid of

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'Like we were afraid' is used when describing a feeling or emotion, while 'like we were afraid of' is used when referring to a specific object or situation that caused fear.

Last updated: March 25, 2024 • 645 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English when describing a feeling or emotion.

"like we were afraid"

This phrase is used to express a feeling of fear or apprehension without specifying the cause of the fear.

Examples:

She looked at me like we were afraid.
He spoke softly, like we were afraid of being overheard.

Show examples from the web [+]

It's like we fought because we were afraid to let the other know how deeply we felt.
Thought you were afraid of heights.
Sounds like you were afraid of him.
Mikael was the monster monsters were afraid of.
These men were afraid of me.
You see, they were afraid the corpse might still be alive.
You were afraid mue saw too ch.
And you were afraid of losing me as well.
And you were afraid of losing me as well.
Maybe they were afraid we'd hand over the real file.
- They were afraid a Jew like him would steal a locomotive.
I think you were afraid... and lost and desperate.
You were afraid of how i'd take it.
You were afraid, before the stampede even started.
During his rule even the mushrooms were afraid to grow.
You were afraid that he might become violent.
We were afraid there was a mole.
You were afraid we would find your friend hiding in the other room.
I was beginning to think you were afraid to fight.
I don't think we were afraid of death by then.

Alternatives:

as if we were afraid
as though we were afraid
like we were scared
like we were frightened
like we were worried

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English when referring to a specific object or situation that caused fear.

"like we were afraid of"

This phrase is used to indicate the specific cause of fear or apprehension.

Examples:

She looked at me like we were afraid of the dark.
He acted as if we were afraid of getting caught.

Show examples from the web [+]

I don't think we were afraid of death by then.
We saw your bandage and that's why we were afraid of.
We were afraid of coming near you, for fear of intruding.
This is what we were afraid of.
When we heard you had similar plans, we were afraid of a doomsday gap.
And if you just sit around in the flat all the time, it looks as if we were afraid of something.
What we were afraid of in Parliament, therefore, happened in the Council.
Different, we were afraid of an ambush.
We should not transfer our difficulties to them and behave as if we were afraid of their economy and their people.
I can't believe we were afraid of telling everyone.
Or, if not, we were afraid of it because crossing the border was an extraordinary event in Europe.
We were afraid there was a mole.
We were afraid there was a mole.
We were afraid there was a mole.
We were afraid we might not find you.
Well, we were afraid you wouldn't come.
- We were afraid she was in danger.
When we were afraid, he gave us strength.
We were afraid her children might see him.
We were afraid the Federation had been attacked.

Alternatives:

like we were scared of
like we were frightened of
like we were worried about
like we were terrified of
like we were apprehensive about

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like we were afraid vs like we were afraid of