Andrew Forrester looks at different uses of “by” as a preposition, and gives you practical examples
1. “by” + place: The meaning is " beside “, at the side of, next to, close to
Example: The house is by a river.
2. “by” + method of transport: This structure describes how you travel somewhere.
Example: Dinesh went to Manipur by train.
3. “by” + method of communication: This structure describes how you communicate with someone.
Example: I spoke to her by email.
4. “by” + method of payment: This structure describes how you pay for something.
Example: We paid for the laptop by cheque.
5. “by” and the passive: In the passive voice, “by” indicates who is doing the action.
Example: The book was written by me. (Passive voice)
6. “by” + reflexive pronoun: by + myself / yourself
Example: I enjoy staying by myself.
7. “by” + time expression: The meaning of this structure is not later than; before or at a particular time. We use this structure for deadlines.
Example: Please vacate the room by 11 am.
8. “by” + -ing verb: This structure describes how to do something. It gives us more information about how to achieve a particular result.
Example: How can I turn on the radio? By switching in the main switch