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I wrote the sentence B for paraphrasing sentence A.

A: I feel scared, because my girlfriend is obsessive about me.

B: I'm afraid of my girlfriend being obsessive about me.

Having written B, I am suddenly confused whether sentence B really means sentence A or sentence C below, because be+being+adjective is used for temporal change of subject.

C: I feel scared, when my girlfriend becomes obsessive about me.

Can sentence B replace sentence A, C or neither?

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The three sentences mean different things.

The first explains why you feel scared - the reason for your fear. Your girlfriend is already obsessive about you.

The second expresses your concern about an undesired development - that your girlfriend may become obsessive about you. At present she is not obsessive about you.

The third states that your are fearful at such times as your girlfriend becomes obsessive about you. When she is not obsessive, you are not scared. This suggests that your girlfriend goes through phases of being obsessive.

(PS: None of your sentences requires a comma.)

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  • Thank you for your answer. Then, I'm wondering if being in sentence B is left out, does it change meaning?
    – JBL
    Commented Jan 31, 2020 at 11:12
  • If you omit the word being, the sentence is no longer grammatical.
    – Ronald Sole
    Commented Jan 31, 2020 at 11:44

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