How to Use BY

How to use BY

Hello English learners! Welcome to a new lesson on how to use by in English.

The word by may look small and simple, but it is one of the most frequently used prepositions in English, and it appears constantly in everyday conversation, formal writing, and exams. We use by to talk about method, movement, position, time, cause, and agency, and choosing the wrong preposition can easily change the meaning of a sentence.

In this lesson, you will learn ten common and practical uses of by, each explained clearly with example sentences so you can use them accurately and confidently in both spoken and written English.

By as a means of transport

We can use BY to say how people travel.

• People in London usually commute by train.
• Shall we go by car or by bus?
• They went to America by sea.

By to show how something is done

• Can I pay by credit card?
• We’ll contact you by email.
• Would you send us the proposal by fax?

By to show how something happens

• I met my high school teacher by accident.
• Sorry, I took your phone by mistake.
• Stuart became a musician by chance.

By with adjectives

• Sara was impressed by the sheer size of the temple.
• He was delighted by the news.
• Everybody in the courtroom was shocked by the evidence.

By with time expressions

We can use BY with a time expression such as tomorrow, next week/month, etc. for deadlines.

• I’m supposed to finish this report by Monday.
• Milly, make sure you get home by 10.
• We’re going away on Friday and we’ll be back by the end of February.

By meaning “next to”

• Your bag is in the hall by the door.
• Michael was standing by his wife in the picture.
• There is a nice Italian restaurant by the river.

By with a gerund

We can use by with a gerund to say how something is done.

• He makes a living by working in an office.
• You can get fit by doing exercise regularly.
• Mira wants to broaden her horizons by travelling.

By for measurements and amounts

We can use by to talk about measurements and amounts.

• My room is four meters by five meters.
• These people are paid by the hour.
• The price of oil increased by 3%.

By with a reflexive pronoun

We can use by with the reflexive pronoun meaning “alone”.

• I prepared the party all by myself.
• You shouldn’t be walking by yourself at night. I’ll give you a lift.
• They spent all weekend by themselves.

By with passive

We use by in passive sentences to say who is the doer of the action.

• The book was written by James Joyce.
• The theatre was opened by the president himself.
• The photo was taken by our famous photographer.

As you can see, by is a highly flexible preposition with many important meanings. Learning to use it correctly will make your English sound more natural, precise, and confident, especially in exams, formal writing, and everyday communication.

Try noticing how by is used in articles, emails, and conversations, and practise using a few of these patterns in your own sentences. Small words like by often make the biggest difference in fluent English.

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