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Prepositions after verbs

Appall by or appall at?

Use appall as a transitive verb: something appalls someone. The adjective appalled is commonly followed by at or by.

Quick answer

Which form is correct?

Appall usually takes a direct object: The news appalled me. After the adjective appalled, both at and by are common. Appall at is uncommon in modern English, and appall by is generally nonstandard.

I was appalled at the waste.
They were appalled by his remarks.
The report appalled the committee.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
appall + person

Showing strong shock

Use appall directly with the person or group affected.

The images appalled viewers worldwide.
2
be appalled at + situation

Reacting to something shocking

Appalled at commonly introduces the thing that causes shock or disgust.

She was appalled at the conditions.
3
be appalled by + action

Emphasising the cause

Appalled by also introduces the cause of shock and is especially common with actions and behaviour.

We were appalled by their treatment of staff.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
appall someone
The decision appalled local residents.
Standard verb pattern with a direct object.
be appalled at
He was appalled at the damage.
Standard adjective pattern focusing on the shocking situation.
be appalled by
I was appalled by her behaviour.
Standard adjective pattern focusing on the cause or agent.
appall at
They were appalled at the news.
Use appalled at rather than appall at in most contexts.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using appall with at

Appall is usually transitive and does not normally take at directly.

✕ The scandal appalled at voters. ✓ The scandal appalled voters.

Using appall by as a verb pattern

Do not use by directly after the verb appall.

✕ The report appalled by readers. ✓ The report appalled readers.

Confusing appall and appalled

Use the adjective appalled before at or by.

✕ I appall at the result. ✓ I am appalled at the result.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. We were ___ the level of corruption.
2. The speech ___ many listeners.
3. She was appalled ___ his rude comments.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I say appall by?

Not usually. Use appall with a direct object, or use the adjective appalled by.

Is appalled at different from appalled by?

Both are standard. At often focuses on the situation, while by often highlights the cause or behaviour.

Can appall be used without an object?

Usually no. Appall is normally transitive and needs an object.

abandon, by, abandon, in "abduct by", "abduct in" or "abduct from"? abide by, in, with, to or on? "abolish in" or "abolish by"? "abound in" or "abound with"? "absorb by", "absorb into" or "absorb in"? "accelerate by", "accelerate to" or "accelerate in"? accentuate by, with, in or under? accept by, in, as, for or into? "accommodate in", "accommodate for" or "accommodate to"? "accomplish by" or "accomplish in"? "accord to" or "accord with"?

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