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Prepositions after verbs

Shun by, for, to, away or from

Shun is usually a transitive verb without a following preposition. Shun from appears occasionally but is generally nonstandard in modern English.

Quick answer

Correct use of shun

Use shun directly with an object: shun danger, shun publicity, shun someone. The combinations shun by, shun for, shun to, and shun away are not standard patterns.

She shunned publicity.
They shunned him after the scandal.
He shunned unnecessary risks.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
shun + person/group

Avoiding people

Shun commonly means deliberately avoid someone socially.

The community shunned the family.
He felt shunned by his colleagues.
2
shun + activity/behaviour

Avoiding actions or habits

Shun can refer to avoiding activities, publicity, or behaviour.

She shunned social media.
They shunned violence.
3
be shunned by + group

Using the passive form

By can appear after shunned in passive sentences to name who is avoiding someone.

He was shunned by his neighbours.
The idea was shunned by investors.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
shun
She shuns attention.
standard direct-object pattern
shun by
He was shunned by the group.
passive structure using by to show the agent
shun for
They shunned him for his behaviour.
possible when for gives the reason, not part of the verb pattern
shun to
They shunned to speak openly.
nonstandard in current English
shun away from
He shrank away from the noise.
different verb pattern; shun away is not idiomatic

Common mistakes

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

Adding an unnecessary preposition

Shun normally takes a direct object without from or to.

✕ She shunned from conflict. ✓ She shunned conflict.

Using shun away

English uses avoid, stay away from, or shrink away from instead.

✕ They shunned away from the crowd. ✓ They stayed away from the crowd.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. He decided to ___ public attention.
2. The actor was ___ the press after the scandal.
3. They shunned him ___ his rude behaviour.

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Frequently asked questions

Does shun need a preposition?

Usually no. It normally takes a direct object.

Can I say shun from?

It is generally considered nonstandard in modern English.

What is a synonym for shun?

Common alternatives include avoid, reject, and stay away from, depending on context.

sack, by, sack, for, sack, from "sacrifice for" or "sacrifice to"? sail from, in, for, to or through? "salvage from" or "salvage in"? sanction by, for, in, with or according? satisfy with, by, in, about or after? "saturate with" or "saturate in"? save by, for, from, on or in? "say in", "say about" or "say to"? "scan for", "scan in" or "scan through"? "scar by" or "scar on"? scatter in, across, around, throughout or on?

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