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I'm not sure which of the following is correct because I've seen both used in the same context:

I look up from his body to Sarah.

or

I look up from his body at Sarah.

If I take the 'from his body' away and analyse the sentence without it, I would say the right answer would be, I look up at Sarah. If I say I look up to Sarah, it alters the meaning.

However, since my searching has revealed both uses, I don't trust my instincts.

Which is right?

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"I look up to Sarah" usually means "I admire or respect Sarah", the 'looking' being figurative in nature. Without any other words, one would use 'look up at' to avoid ambiguity when actual looking is being discussed. However, the phrase 'from his body' makes clear that the figurative meaning is not intended. In your examples, 'at' is possible, but 'to' is preferable - one can look from one thing to another. I looked from the dog to the ball, and back to the dog again.

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  • I would go further and say that "to" is preferable due to the from-to relation you mentioned
    – Paul Childs
    Commented Jul 13, 2018 at 11:52
  • Thank you, that's really helpful. Not only that, I don't feel stupid for asking it since it's not quite as straightforward as I thought. Appreciate the time. GGx
    – GGx
    Commented Jul 13, 2018 at 14:06

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