On “Frown”

English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)

On “Frown”

When frown means to furrow one’s brows in an expression indicating disapproval, displeasure, or concentration, the object “face” is redundant:
He ~frowned his face~ as he read the instructions (nonstandard).
He frowned as he read the instructions (standard).

When “frown” means a reaction towards someone, it attracts the preposition “at”:
He frowned at me, clearly annoyed (standard).

When “frown” means to disapprove of something, it attracts the preposition “on” or “upon”:
The company ~frowns at~ dating among employees (nonstandard).
The company frowns on dating among employees (standard).
The company frowns upon dating among employees (standard).

“Frown” attracts the preposition “of” when used as a noun:
I got a frown of disapproval from him (standard).
GAB