A twinge/pain/pang of fear

Question

Inside, he seems to carry his own sunshine with him -- he's a sunshine bottle -- even into the closet, where sometimes he hides from Polly without a twinge of fear.

Hi,

Does a twinge of fear in the above amount to "a pain/pang of fear?" Thanks.

Mr Wordy · Accepted Answer

"a pang of fear", yes.

"a pain of fear", not really. You wouldn't say that.

Mister Micawber · Answer

'Pang', yes; 'pain', no.

Angliholic · Answer

Thanks, Mr. Wordy and Micawber.

But why doesn't "a pain of fear" work? Isn't pain an acountable noun sometimes?

Mister Micawber · Answer

Classifying nouns is irrelevant; it simply does not collocate.

Mr Wordy · Answer

Yes, "pain" can be a countable noun in the right context. It's just not natural to say "a pain of fear". I guess I can't explain why. You could say "the pain of fear", but this suggests a prevailing condition rather than a sharp, transient pain.

A twinge/pain/pang of fear

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