Afraid to (do) and afraid of (do)ing

J. Afraid to (do) and afraid of (do)ing
a. I am afraid to do something = I don't want to do it because it is dangerous or the result could be bad. We use afraid to do for things we do intentionally; we can choose to do them or not. (e.g. This part of town is dangerous. people are afraid to walk here at night. (= they don't want to walk here because it is dangerous - so they don't))

b. I am afraid of something happening = it is possible that something bad will happen (e.g. an accident) (e.g. The path was icy, so we walked very carefully. We were afraid of failing. (= it was possible that we would fail ~ not we were afraid of failing.))
c. So, you are afraid to do something because you are afraid of something happening as a result. (e.g. I was afraid to go near the dog because I was afraid of being bitten.)

more about the To ~ (Infinitive) and preposition + Gerund (-ing)

 

Idiom 365

Queer the pitch: spoil or ruin someone's plans or someone else's chances
Example: If you asks for a pay rise before I do, you will probably queer my pitch.

more about the Idioms...