What Does โScare sb awayโ Mean?
โScare sb awayโ means to frighten someone so much that they leave or avoid a place, person, or situation.
Introduction
The phrasal verb โscare sb awayโ is common in everyday English. It describes a situation where someone is frightened or intimidated enough to leave or stay away. Understanding the โscare sb away meaningโ helps learners recognize when fear or discomfort causes avoidance. This phrase is often used to talk about animals, people, or customers who are driven off by something unpleasant or threatening.
Quick Info Box
- Phrasal verb: scare somebody away
- Type: transitive
- Level: B1 (Intermediate)
- Meaning: to frighten someone so they leave or avoid something
Structure (Grammar Rules)
โScare sb awayโ is a separable phrasal verb. The object (sb) goes between โscareโ and โaway.โ
Pattern:
- Scare + somebody + away
- Example: The loud noise scared the birds away.
How to Use Scare sb away?
Use โscare sb awayโ when describing situations where fear causes someone or something to leave. It is often followed by the person or animal being frightened. You can use it in past, present, or future tenses.
Examples:
- Donโt scare the children away with loud noises.
- The smell of the chemicals scared the workers away.
Examples
Imagine a garden where birds usually come to eat. If a cat appears, the birds might fly away quickly.
- The cat scared the birds away from the garden.
- His rude behavior scared the customers away.
- The loud thunder scared the dog away.
- She scared the pests away by using natural repellents.
- Heavy traffic scares tourists away from the city center.
These examples show โscare sb away in a sentenceโ with different subjects and objects.
Common Mistakes
Sometimes learners confuse the position of the object or use the wrong preposition.
- Incorrect: Scare away the birds.
- Correct: Scare the birds away.
- Incorrect: Scare sb off (different phrasal verb, different meaning).
- Correct: Donโt scare the customers away.
Remember, โscare sb awayโ always separates the object and โaway.โ
Differences / Synonyms
โScare sb awayโ is similar to โdrive sb awayโ or โpush sb away,โ but with a focus on fear.
- Drive sb away: Can mean forcing someone to leave by any means, not just fear.
- Push sb away: Usually emotional or physical distance, not necessarily fear.
- Scare sb off: Means the same as โscare sb awayโ but slightly less common.
Use โscare sb awayโ when fear is the main cause of leaving.
Common Collocations
People often use โscare sb awayโ with these objects:
- Animals: birds, dogs, pests, insects
- People: customers, guests, children, visitors
- Other: problems, noise, threats
For example, โThe loud noise scared the guests away.โ
Related Phrasal Verbs
Here are related phrasal verbs of scare sb away:
Real-life Dialogue
Two friends talk about a new restaurant that lost customers.
Anna: Did you hear why so many people stopped going to that restaurant?
Ben: Yeah, the rude waiter scared the customers away.
Anna: Thatโs a shame. They had good food.
Practice
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of โscare sb away.โ
- The loud music _______ the neighbors _______ last night.
- Donโt _______ the children _______ with scary stories.
- The new policy might _______ potential buyers _______.
FAQ
- What does โscare sb awayโ mean? It means to frighten someone so they leave or avoid a place or situation.
- Is โscare sb awayโ separable? Yes, the object goes between โscareโ and โaway.โ
- Can I use โscare sb awayโ with animals? Yes, it is common to say things like โscare the birds away.โ
- What is the difference between โscare sb awayโ and โdrive sb awayโ? โScare sb awayโ involves fear, while โdrive sb awayโ can be any forceful action.
- Is โscare sb offโ the same as โscare sb awayโ? Yes, they mean similar things, but โscare sb awayโ is more common.
