I would
like to ask about the differences in meaning and use between concern
and its related forms concerned and concerning. Thanks
a lot.
Roger
Woodham replies:
You
are quite correct, Eunice, to suggest that concern and its
related forms are used in a variety of different ways. Here are
some of the most important.
concerned (adj) = worried
Note the different ways in which the adjectival form is used:
Why do you keep ringing me? ~ Well, I'm concerned about
you. Are you all right?
I was very concernedthat my daughter might not
have proper clothing for the skiing trip.
I was concernedfor her safety as well. There
have been a lot of avalanches recently.
There was aconcernedexpression on his
face. I knew something awful had happened.
it
concerns me = it worries me
Note that when concern is employed as a verb in this way,
it cannot be used in the first or second person and it is normally
used with the preparatory subject it. Note also that concern
is not normally used with progressive forms. We need to indicate
the idea of progression in some other way. Compare the following:
It concerns me that she'll be in London for a whole week
on her own.
Rather than:
That she'll be in London for a whole week on her own concerns
me).
Doesn't it concern you? She's only nineteen.
The pollution problem in that part of the river is beginningto concern all the local anglers.
concern
(noun) = worry
When concern is used as a noun, it expresses worry about
a situation:
There is growing concern that the climbers may have lost
their lives.
He expressed deepconcern about the way in which
the elections had been held.
concern (verb) / concerning (prep) = aboutWhen you use concern
or concerning in this way, you are indicating what a question
or a topic is about. Concerning and relating to are
the formal equivalents of the much more informal about.
Compare the following:
Why are you arguing? What's it all about?What
does it concern?
~ It's about the long lunch breaks enjoyed by the senior
executives.
~ It concerns the long lunch breaks enjoyed by the senior
executives.
For information concerning / relating to opening hours
during the summer months, contact the club secretary.
If you want to know about opening hours in the summer
months, give Joan a ring.
A number of questions had been tabled relating to / concerning
the dangers of the new vaccine.
We had a lot of questions about people's concerns about
the new vaccine.
concerned
as past participle = involved / affected
The participle modifies the noun or pronoun in these examples and
can be used instead of a participle clause:
There was a brawl outside the nightclub. Those concerned
were held in custody overnight. / The youths (who were) involved
were held in custody overnight.
Many have lost their savings. The pensioners concerned
will receive substantial compensation / The pensioners who
are affectedby this will receive compensation.
as far as I'm concerned = in my opinion
When you want to express an opinion, you can use this formula as
an alternative to in my view or in my opinion:
As far as I'm concerned / In my view / In my opinion,
the English football supporters should not be held responsible
for starting the fight.
as far as x is concerned = concerning x
You can use these expressions to introduce the topic that you wish
to talk about or the issue you want to refer back to - i.e. it may
have been raised once already and you, as the current speaker, want
to return to that topic. As far as x is concerned is a bit
less formal than concerning x:
As far as foreign languages are concerned, I think they
should be taught in primary schools.
Concerning foreign languages, in my view it is appropriate
to teach them at primary school level.
If you would
like more practice more please visit our in the You, Meand Us part of our website.