The Use of the Preposition By in the English Language

Jan 22, 2012
Tanja Batista

Counties of England - The_Virgo

What are the most common uses of the preposition 'by' in the English language? Read on and find out!

The preposition by is one of the most versatile prepositions in the English language. It can be used it in many different ways. For example:

we can use it to say how we do something
we can use it to say how somebody or something travels
we can use it to express time
we can use it to express location
we can use it with a verb to show motion
we can use it in passive clauses to introduce the agent
it appears in a number of fixed expressions

1. We can use the preposition by to say how we do someting:

The letter arrived this morning by post. how? by post
The love letter was written by hand. how? by hand
Would you like to pay by cheque or by credit card? how? by cheque, by credit card

I stepped on the spider by accident. how? by accident
I met him at the airport by chance. how? by chance

But:

Would you like to pay for the Armani suit in cash?

Have you noticed the last sentence, where I wrote in cash and NOT by cash? The expression 'in cash' is an exception; it never takes the preposition by. In this particular case, the English prefer to use the preposition in. Memorize it.

2. The English use the preposition by to say how somebody or something travels:

by car / by bus / by coach / by bike / by taxi / by motorbike / by train / by plane / by ship / by boat / by Underground / by air / by sea / by rail

but: on foot (an exception)

My naughty child always goes to school by bus.
We've decided to travel to New York by sea and not by air.
I'd like to go to Dublin by plane.
Donald Trump's fancy car had broken down and he had to come by taxi.
Angelina Jolie decided to go to the Oscars on foot.

If you're studying this interesting language, you already know that the English like to complicate things every now and then. Now pay attention because there are a few exceptions to the above rule. For example, remember that you CANNOT use the preposition by with possessive pronouns and articles when talking about how somebody or something travels:

I didn't come in my (possessive pronoun) car. I came in a (indefinite article) taxi.

Don't say the following:

I didn't come by my car. I came by a taxi. false

Also, don't say the following:

I didn't come with my car. I came with a taxi. false

Instead, use the preposition 'in' for cars and taxis in such cases.

Now, let's look at the following example:

I decided not to go to work by car. I went on my bike instead.

Use the preposition 'on' for bicycles and public transport (trains, buses etc.). However, as mentioned before, taxis use the preposition 'in'.

More examples:

How did you get here? Did you come on the train?
James Dean went for a ride on a motorbike.

So what's the difference between the following two sentences:

Max decided not to go to work by car today. He went on his bike instead.
Max decided not to go to work by car today. He went by bike instead.

In the first example, Max went to work on his bike. Therefore, Max wants you to know that he used a bike instead of a car today, and that the bike belongs to him.

In the second example, Max also went to work by bike. The bike he used may belong to him or to somebody else. We don't specifically know who the owner of the bike is. It could be Max or somebody else. And it doesn't really matter. What matters here is the fact that Max went to work by bike and not by car. If you want to know who the owner of the bike is, please ask Max.

Let's look at one more similar example:

I came in a taxi.
I came by taxi.

In this particular example, there is no difference between the two sentences. Both mean the same thing. The choice which expression to use is yours.

3. We can use the preposition 'by' to express time when we want to say that an action or event will happen at or before a future moment:

I will be home by lunchtime. (at or before lunchtime, but no later than lunchtime)
Can I borrow your car, Mr. Black? Yes, but I want it back by midnight. (at or before midnight, but no later than midnight)

Please don't confuse the preposition by with the preposition until:

Can Jon Bon Jovi stay with us until Sunday lunchtime? (how long? up to Sunday lunchtime)

We use the preposition until -and not the preposition by - to talk about a situation or state that will continue up to a certain moment.

4. You can use the preposition by to express location. For example:

Where is the light switch? By the door. (very close to the door)

Because the light switch is beside the door, you have probably already guessed that the preposition by here means next to or beside. Another example:

Come and sit by me. (beside me)

Now let's look at the following two examples. They illustrate the difference between the prepositions by and near:

The fisherman lives by the sea. (He can see the sea. Perhaps his house stands on the beach.)
The fisherman lives near the sea. (He probably lives a few kilometres away.)

Therefore, by means 'just at the side of.' Something that is by you may be closer than something that is near you.

5. You can use the preposition by to show motion. When a person or vehicle goes by you, they move past you without stopping:

Guess what?! David Bowie walked by my house this morning!
I drove by many houses with beautiful gardens this morning.

6. In passive clauses, the preposition by introduces the agent. The agent is the person or thing that does the action. For example:

Leonardo DiCaprio has just been bitten by a snake. (The snake bit him.)
Al Pachino was interviewed by two film directors. (Two film directors interviewed him.)
The play was written by Oscar Wilde. (Oscar Wilde wrote it.)

Now let's check out the following two examples:

My neighbour was killed by a heavy rock.
My neighbour was killed with a heavy rock.

In the first example, the neighbour was probably killed by a falling rock. The second example tells you that the death of the neighbour was no accident. In fact, somebody used a rock to kill him/her! Therefore, try to remember that the English prefer to use the preposition with to refer to a tool or instrument used by somebody.

Compare:

The plane was severely damaged by lightning. (lightning is a natural phenomenon and not a tool)
President Obama managed to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. (fire extinguisher is a tool)
He was killed with a gun. (the gun is a tool)
My Toyota was damaged by a falling branch. (in this case, the falling branch is not a tool used by somebody)

7. The preposition by appears in a number of fixed expressions. For example:

by day / by night / day by day / by yourself / increase by / decrease by / etc.
By day women could safely walk the streets of London. By night they had no wish to hurry alone through the streets of the city because Jack the Ripper was on the loose.
The situation is getting more serious day by day. (=each day)
Prince Charles was sitting in a corner by himself. Nobody wanted to talk to him.
In our village, violent crime has increased by twenty percent since last year.

Please note that this article has discussed the most frequent uses of the preposition by. In addition to the uses shown above, by is also used in phrasal verbs. Furthermore, you can use it to talk about measurements of area. In arithmetic, you can use it before the second number in a multiplication or division sum. For these uses, consult a good dictionary.

Source:

Murphy, Raymond. English Grammar in Use: A Self-Study Reference and Practice Book for Intermediate Students. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1994