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Preposition BY – Meaning and use
“by” is a very common word in English.
“by” is usually a preposition but it can also be used as an adverb.
In this lesson, you’ll learn 6 common uses of “by” as a preposition.
“by” + place
When “by” is used as a preposition of place before a place, it means “beside” / “at the side of” / “next to”
Example:
The house is by a lake. (next to a lake)
I live by the River Thames.
We live by an airport.
“by” + noun
“by” + noun has many different uses and meanings in English.
The general meaning is “a method of something” The precise meaning depends on the category of noun:
to describe a method of travel
by train
by car
by boat
by plane
by taxi
by bus
Example:
Jane is going to France by plane.
I went to London by train.
Let’s go by car.
to describe a method of communication
by phone
by email
by post
by fax
Examples:
I will send you the report by fax.
Contact us by phone.
Mark received the order by email.
to describe a method of payment
by credit card
by cheque
Examples:
I’d like to pay by credit card.
We paid for the car by cheque.
Exception – We do NOT say “by cash” – We say IN cash.
Example:__ I paid in cash for the newspaper.__
“by” and the passive voice
In the passive voice, “by” indicates WHO is doing the action.
Examples:
The floor is being cleaned by Jane.
The dress was made by Sarah.
The book was written by my father.
by + reflexive pronoun
by myself
by yourself
by himself / by herself / by itself
by ourselves
by yourselves
by themselves
This means to do something alone. To do something without the company, help or assistance of others.
Examples:
I visited London by myself.
You should go by yourself.
Jane is studying by herself.
We went to New York by ourselves.
Jane and Mark often go travelling by themselves.
by + ING form of verb
This describes how to do something. It describes the method for achieving a a particular result.
Example:
Mark stays fit by cycling to work.
In the above example, the result is “stays fit”. The method is “by cycling”
The “by” + ING clause can come before or after the result. If the “by” + ING clause is before the result, we write a comma between the clauses.
Examples:
You can turn on the television by pressing that button. (“by” + ING clause AFTER the result)
By pressing that button, you can turn on the television. (“by” + ING clause BEFORE the result with a comma.)
“by” + time expression
“by” can also act as a preposition of time and we use it with a time expression.
The meaning is: “not later than” or “before or at a particular time”. We use this structure for deadlines.
by tomorrow
by next week
by + day of the week
by + month of the year
by + date
by 9 o’clock
by 7 pm
Examples:
Please send us the contract by Friday.
You must leave the hotel room by 11 am.
#Grammar
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