紧接 上一讲 的“敢”，这一讲来介绍几个“不敢”的说法。 上一讲 共介绍了 6 个“敢”，我们先来回顾一下：
|
be brave enough to do something |
|
have the courage to do something |
|
dare |
|
have the guts to do something |
|
have the nerve to do something |
|
find/ get up/ pluck up/ summon up the
courage to do something |
以上6个表达都可以加上“not”表示“不敢”的。如：
1. not dare to: to not be brave
enough to do something because you are afraid of what might happen if you do it
例：
The older boys used to bully me but I didn't
dare to complain.（以前大孩子们总欺负我，但我不敢有怨言。）
Billy stood on top of the rock, not daring
to jump down.（比利站在岩石顶上就是不敢跳。）
I wanted to ask Dad for the money but I
didn't dare to.（我想向爸爸要钱，但是又不敢。）
备注：上一次提过dare可以是动词，也可以是情态动词。要加上“不”的意思的话，动词就是not dare to do something，情景态词就变成dare not do something。
2. not have the guts: not to be brave
enough to do something that people think you should do
与''have the
guts to do something''类似，这也是个口语用法。
例：
He wouldn't have the guts to say that to
me.（他不敢跟我说那个。）
I planned to ask my boss for a raise but in
the end I didn't have the guts.（我本想跟老板谈加薪的事，但最后我又不敢说。）
Peg has done all the things I never had the
guts to try.（我没胆做的那些事，Peg都做过。）
3. not have the nerve to do something: not to be brave or confident enough to do something because you
think it is too difficult, dangerous or embarrassing
例：
I'd love to quit my job and go back to
college but I don't have the nerve.（我想辞职再重新回到大学读书，但我又没勇气这么做。）
He doesn't have the nerve to tell the boss
what he really thinks of her.（他没胆子告诉老板自己心中对她的真实想法。）
不加''not''也可以，把有些动词改成它的反义词就行了，如：
1.be without guts, lack guts：胆小
可以看做是''have the
guts''的反义词。
例：
Joe is a weak character, without guts or ambition.（乔是个软弱的人，没胆色、没野心。）
She's intelligent enough, but she lacks guts.（她够聪明，但是太胆小。）
2. lose your nerve: to suddenly lose
the confidence and calmness that you need to do something dangerous or frightening（突然间）丧失勇气、退缩；临阵退缩
可以看成是''have
the nerve''的反义词。
例：
Dan wanted to ask his boss for a day off
but he lost his nerve at the last minute.（丹想向老板请一天假，但是他临阵退缩了不敢请。）
I stood at the top of the ski-slope for a
minute then lost my nerve.（我在滑雪坡道顶端站了一分钟就退缩了，不敢滑下去。）
再补充一种口语的说法：
chicken out/ wimp out: to decide at the last moment not to do something you said you
would do, because you are afraid：临阵退缩
例：
You're not chickening out, are you? （你不是要临阵退缩吧？）
I was supposed to make the introductory
speech, but I chickened out at the last minute. （我本来要做开场演说的，但是却在最后关头临阵退缩了。）
She chickened out of telling her father
that she and David were going to live together. （最后她还是不敢告诉她父亲她和戴维要同居的事。）