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Prepositions with face

To face or at face?

To face and at face are not usually complete expressions by themselves. English commonly uses face to face for meetings and at face value for accepting something as it appears.

Quick answer

How are these expressions used?

Use face to face for direct personal interaction. At face appears mainly in the phrase at face value. To face may occur as part of a verb phrase such as turn to face someone.

We met face to face after months online.
Do not take the claim at face value.
She turned to face the audience.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
face to face

Describing direct personal contact

Use face to face for meetings or conversations in person.

The interview was conducted face to face.
They settled the dispute face to face.
2
at face value

Accepting something without questioning it

Use this fixed phrase when something seems true on the surface.

You should not accept advertisements at face value.
He took her comments at face value.
3
to face + person/object

Showing direction or movement

To face can follow another verb and introduce the direction someone turns toward.

The child moved to face the camera.
She stepped forward to face her critics.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
to face
She turned to face the door.
part of a verb phrase showing direction
at face
Used mainly in at face value.
not a general expression by itself
face to face
We discussed the issue face to face.
in person or directly
at face value
Do not take the figures at face value.
without deeper examination

Common mistakes

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

Using at face for meetings

English uses face to face for direct interaction.

✕ We spoke at face yesterday. ✓ We spoke face to face yesterday.

Using to face as a noun phrase

To face normally follows another verb.

✕ The meeting was to face. ✓ The meeting was face to face.

Omitting value after at face

The fixed phrase is at face value.

✕ I accepted the story at face. ✓ I accepted the story at face value.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. We finally met ___ after years of emails.
2. Do not take the report ___
3. She turned ___ the crowd.

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Frequently asked questions

Is to face a complete expression?

Usually no. It normally follows another verb, such as turn to face or move to face.

What does face to face mean?

It means in direct personal contact or in person.

When is at face used?

Mostly in the fixed phrase at face value.

to, amount, in, amount, of, amount "to availability" or "of availability"? "to bed" or "in bed"? "to bit" or "by bit"? "to bottom" or "at bottom"? to, by, from, with or of ear? "to charity", "for charity" or "of charity"? "to coast" or "from coast"? "to cycle" or "of cycle"? "to deal" or "of deal"? "to debut" or "on debut"? "to editor" or "of editor"?

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