Use of “afraid not”

Question

Is this sentence correct?

I am afraid not of preparing for the exam but of the result.

Or is there some other way to write that sentence?

Why would you think it isn't "correct"? Why are you looking for "other way"? By the way, "OR there is other way to write this sentence." is what needs correction, have you noticed that?
Your question”s title somewhat confuses me. Are you trying to understand what sentences like “I’m afraid not”, or of the sentence you have yourself posed, wherein “afraid not” is a simple and non-idiomatic collocation.

tchrist · Answer 1 · 2012-12-25 04:58:45Z

up vote 1 down vote

What you have written is certainly correct (well, given the insertion of the), but it might sound somewhat literary to some folks. Compare these:

The first differs from yours mainly in punctuation and cadence.

answered Dec 25 '12 at 4:58

tchrist
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	OP's example is an incorrect usage of the phrase afraid not -- if there's such a thing. (Andrew: Will you be there when I get there? Bill: Afraid not. -- McGraw-Hill) The word set "afraid, not" is not quite relevant here. – Kris Dec 25 '12 at 5:19
	@Kris What you have is a different sort of afraid not than the OP used. Surely there is nothing amiss with saying “I am afraid not of X but of Y”, eh? – tchrist Dec 25 '12 at 5:21
	That usage needs a punctuation, the idiom doesn't. – Kris Dec 25 '12 at 5:22
	@Kris Punctuation is not a count noun, so there is no such thing as “a” punctuation. But just which particular mark of punctuation were you thinking of, pray tell? Perhaps a comma? – tchrist Dec 25 '12 at 5:25
	@tchrist thank you for the explanation.But,I have just one doubt-My sentence may sound literary to some folks,I agree but is it grammatically correct? – Sanket Verma Jan 2 at 18:04

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