英语可说 fear sb to do sth 吗？

有网友在本站“答疑中心”问：英语是否可以说 fear sb to do sth。

按汉语的表达习惯，我们可以说“害怕某人做某事”“担心某人做某事”，但英语是否可以说 fear sb to do sth 呢？回答是否定的。

英语动词 fear  习惯上不接不定式的复合结构作宾语。如：

◎我担心他会失败。

正：I fear that he will fail.

误：I fear him to fail.

◎我害怕他们再把我关起来。

正：I was terrified they would lock me up again.

误：I feared them to lock me up again.

◎跟你说实话吧，我非常害怕他回来。

正：To tell you the truth, I'm rather dreading his return.

误：To tell you the truth, I fear him to return.

◎我担心他这样苦干下去，精神会崩溃的。

正：I was worried he might have a breakdown if he carried on working so hard.

误：I feared him to have a breakdown if he carried on working so hard.

◎我们担心他在舞台上紧张，但事实上它表现得很好。

正：We were afraid he would be nervous on stage, but in the event he performed beautifully.

误：We feared him to be nervous on stage, but in the event he performed beautifully.

◎我害怕他会离开我，所以缠着他不放。

正：I was terrified he would leave me, so I was clinging to him.

误：I feared him to leave me, so I was clinging to him.

◎父母担心他们可能会逾越这些无形的界限。

正：Parents fear they might overstep these invisible boundaries.

误：Parents fear them to overstep these invisible boundaries.

◎官员们担心他会把对外交的重视理解为软弱的表现。

正：Officials fear that he might interpret the emphasis on diplomacy as a sign of weakness.

误：Officials fear him to interpret the emphasis on diplomacy as a sign of weakness.