This content has been automatically translated from Ukrainian.
Preposition is a service part of speech that is used to express relationships between words in a sentence. Prepositions help to understand how objects, people, places, and actions are connected to each other. They can denote place, time, direction, manner, reason, etc.
The preposition "by" in English can have several meanings, as it is used as a preposition, adverb, and abbreviation. Here are some of its main meanings:
1. By - at, near, beside, along, past; indicates that something is located next to something or near something:
- There are two houses by the station. - By the station, there are two houses.
- Come and sit by the fire.- Come and sit by the fire.
- Do you see a path by the river? - Do you see a path along the river?
- Call in as you go by the home. - Stop by as you go past the house.
2. By - through, with, by (means of), by way of, on:
- She did not send the letter by post, but by special messenger. - She did not send the letter by post, but by a special messenger.
- He knows it by his own experience. - He knows it from his own experience.
- He took me by the hand. - He took me by the hand.
- Can you know him by sight (by voice)? - Can you recognize him by sight (by voice)?
- He opened the door by the handle. - He opened the door by the handle.
- They traveled by rail (by land, by sea). - They traveled by rail (by land, by sea).
- It is ten o’clock by my watch. - By my watch, it is ten o’clock.
- He knows all the students by name. - He knows all the students by name.
- By what train did you come? - What train did you come by?
3. By - used after verbs in the passive voice and indicates the doer or agent (corresponds to the instrumental or genitive case in Ukrainian):
- The novel “Hard Time” was written by Dickens. - The novel “Hard Times” was written by Dickens.
- The house was destroyed by fire. - The house was destroyed by fire.
- I was prevented from coming by illness. - I did not come due to illness.
4. By - at, by, under; indicates the time of completion of an action or event:
- He had finished his work by the time I came back. - He had finished his work by the time I returned.
- She had done her homework by six o’clock. - She had completed her homework by six o’clock.
- The building will be finished by the end of the month. - The building will be finished by the end of the month.
5. By - at, per; indicates measure, size; duration of time:
- Meat is sold by the kilogram, and milk by the liter. - Meat is sold by the kilogram, and milk by the liter.
- We used to sit and talk by the hour. - We used to sit and talk by the hour.
6. By - at; used in comparisons:
- He is my senior by a year. - He is my senior by a year.
7. By - for; indicates profession:
- He is a doctor by profession. - By profession, he is a doctor.
8. By - at, by; used in cases indicating the manner of action, as well as in a figurative sense:
- By good luck I found him at home. - By good fortune, I found him at home.
- They are paid by the hour. - They are paid by the hour.
- I sent you a letter by mistake. - I sent you a letter by mistake.
- He will do it by himself. - He will do it by himself.
9. By - is part of expressions:
- by the by - by the way
- by the way - by the way
- by chance - by chance
- by then - by then
- by heart - by heart
- by degrees - gradually
- by means of - by means of
Thus, "by" is a very versatile preposition that has many different applications and is important for understanding and usage in the English language.
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