Prepositions · CEFR A2 · Everyday

by vs with — English prepositions

By is the method or the person who did it. With is the thing held in the hand.

The shape

by + method or doer · with + tool

Say how something was done.

In Hindi

by तरीक़ा या करने वाला बताता है। with वह चीज़ जिससे काम किया गया।

CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.

The mistake to fix first

The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.

Commonly said	Correct English
He wrote it by a pen.	He wrote it with a pen. A pen is a tool in the hand, so it takes "with".

Commonly said

Correct English

He wrote it by a pen.

He wrote it with a pen.

A pen is a tool in the hand, so it takes "with".

by vs with examples

Easiest first. Every sentence is authored, with the Hindi it comes from.

I travel by bus.
मैं बस से यात्रा कर{ता|ती} हूँ।
We will go by taxi.
हम टैक्सी से जाएँगे।
I have come by train.
मैं ट्रेन से {आया|आई} हूँ।
Take an umbrella with you.
छाता अपने साथ ले जाओ।
I go to Delhi by train.
मैं ट्रेन से दिल्ली जा{ता|ती} हूँ।
I live with my family.
मैं अपने परिवार के साथ रह{ता|ती} हूँ।
I will take water with me.
मैं अपने साथ पानी ले जा{ऊँगा|ऊँगी}।
Can I pay by card?
क्या मैं कार्ड से भुगतान कर सकता हूँ?

Easy to confuse with

Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.

Active vs PassiveB2Talk about what was done without saying who did it

Questions people ask

What is the by vs with used for?: By is the method or the person who did it. With is the thing held in the hand. In practice: say how something was done.
How do you form the by vs with?: by + method or doer · with + tool.
What is the most common mistake with the by vs with?: Saying “He wrote it by a pen.” instead of “He wrote it with a pen.”. A pen is a tool in the hand, so it takes "with".

Where by vs with fits

Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.

by vs with is a CEFR A2 structure — the everyday band — and it belongs to prepositions. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.

Reading it is not the same as saying it.

CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.

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