 Re: surprised
Just a note - "at" is a preposition - which is why it must be followed by a noun phrase or gerund. So as Sidewalker says there's no difference in meaning, just a difference in the construction. Sometimes the verb is actuallytredundant, giving the option of all three :
I was surprised to hear the news
I was surprised at hearing the news
I was surprised at the news
- but there might be times when there is no possible verb construction - eg :
I was surprised at the weather. I didn't expect it to be so cold in July.
I was surprised at the price. I had expected it to be much more expensive.
so that the preposition + noun phrase construction is the only one possible.
"at" is also often followed by "wh" clause - especially begining with "how": Compare :
I was surprised at his words.
I was surprised at what he said
I was surprised at the weather
I was surprised at how cold it was.
I was surprised at the cost,
i was surprised at how cheap it was. |