Learn English – worry and worry about

grammarintransitive-prepositionprepositionsverbs

I learned the word worry contains two functions: one is as a transitive verb and the other is an intransitive verb.

However, in this two sentences, (from TOEFL)

  1. People have a variety of factors in their lives that cause them to worry, such as school, jobs, and personal relationships.

  2. Even during times when I was not actually studying, I found myself worrying about the tests and I was unable to completely relax.

I thought worry is a transitive verb, it must not go with preposition, such as about, whereas as an intransitive verb, it should involve preposition.

And I thought the worry in the first sentence is a transitive verb because it has object; a variety of factors in their lives.
Thus, I agree with this sentence has no preposition.

However, in second sentence, I thought worry is a transitive verb since it has object: the test. Then why preposition about is there if worry in that sentence is a transitive?

Or does this word function as an intransitive verb? if so, why an object the test is there?

Best Answer

It seems that nobody is going to answer, so let me try. It's a bit difficult too for me to understand the difference but let me simplify your example.

I think that we can represent the same meaning with two different structures.

(1) The future worries me

(2) I worry about the future

According to Cambridge Dictionary

In the first case, we got

worry [TRANSITIVE]

to make someone feel unhappy and frightened because of problems or unpleasant things that might happen

In the second case, we got

worry [INTRANSITIVE]

to think about problems or unpleasant things that might happen in a way that makes you feel unhappy and frightened

Let's take a look at Oxford Dictionary

Feel or cause to feel anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems.

[no object] he worried about his soldier sons in the war

[with object] there was no need to worry her

Feel [INTRANSITIVE]

Cause to feel [TRANSITIVE]

Knowing all this, let's return to your example

People have a variety of factors in their lives that cause them to worry

[Simplifying] A variety of factors worry them. [TRANSITIVE]

I found myself worrying about the tests

[Simplifiying] I worry about the test [INTRANSITIVE]

about the test is NOT the object, it is a prepositional-clause.

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