Be careful meaning in English

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Definition

Be careful!: Take care! Be cautious! Don't take any risks! idiom

Examples

  • "Moira : Thanks for the report Candy, and you be careful in all that fog."
  • "Jean : Oh yes, and I will now be careful."
  • "Bruno : I'd be careful, Leonard."
  • "Susie : I'll be careful, Bruno."
  • "Brent : Candy, please be careful!"
  • "Shopkeeper : That's alright, just be careful."
  • "Be careful to sit in one of the first four carriages because the back of the train takes a different branch to Puddlington, and you don't want to go there!"
  • "He told me I must be careful of bloodsuckers such as yourself."
  • "I'd be careful if I were you."
  • "But please be careful!"
  • "Be careful!)"
Exercise 1
Complete the following sentences with the most appropriate term or phrase.

My cat scratch the furniture if we don’t watch her carefully.
If you don’t change your password regularly, you become a victim of hacking.
when handling snakes. Especially if you’re not a zookeeper.
Complete the following sentences with the most appropriate term or phrase.

My cat is apt to 1 scratch the furniture if we don’t watch her carefully.
If you don’t change your password regularly, you are apt to 2 become a victim of hacking.
Be careful 3 when handling snakes. Especially if you’re not a zookeeper.
1 is apt to: This sentence means that the cat is liable or likely to scratch the furniture, or that there is a risk that the cat will scratch the furniture. "To be apt to" expresses a risk or a bad habit. For example: "These goats are apt to eat your clothes if you don't watch out".
1 will aptly: This sentence is grammatically correct but very unlikely. If someone does something "aptly", then they do it in an appropriate, pertinent or suitable way. We are unlikely to say this about a cat scratching the furniture, unless there is something specific in the context which makes the action apt.
1 will apt to: The word "apt" is an adjective, not a verb, so it cannot be used after "will". We generally use "apt" in combination with the verb "to be".
2 are apt to: This sentence means "you are at risk of becoming a victim of hacking" or "you risk being hacked". "To be apt to" often expresses a risk. Another example: "She is apt to lose the election if she reveals her affair publicly".
2 are like to: This is grammatically incorrect. Do not confuse "like" with "likely": we could say "you are likely to become a victim of hacking". "Like" is either a verb meaning be fond of ("I like coffee") or a preposition meaning similar ("You are like your mother").
2 are sure for: We generally use the phrase "to be sure to" but not "to be sure for". For example: "You are sure to succeed in your golf training". As a general rule, the preposition "for" is not used before an infinitive verb like "become". It is mostly used before nouns or pronouns, for example: "this is for you" or "she is bound for success".
3 Be careful: "Be careful" means "be aware, wary or mindful of risks or danger". It is a common instruction given to someone entering a potentially risky situation (such as handling a snake). Another example: "Please be careful when you climb Mount Everest, darling".
3 Be apt: We do not generally use "be apt" in the imperative (as a command or instruction). We are more likely to say that someone is apt to do something. For example: "He is apt to be bitten by that snake if he handles it roughly".
3 Be sure: We do not generally use "be sure" (without "to") in the imperative (as a command or instruction). When giving an instruction, we would be more likely to say something like "Be sure to wear gloves when you handle the snakes".

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