By

Pronunciation: /baɪ/

Definitions of by

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence. In this case, 'by' indicates the agent performing an action or the means through which an action is done.

Example Sentences

A1 I go to school by bus.

A2 She likes to read books by the fireplace.

B1 The project was completed by the deadline.

B2 The painting was created by a famous artist.

C1 The novel was inspired by true events.

C2 The new technology was developed by a team of experts.

Examples of by in a Sentence

formal The report was written by the team of researchers.

informal I heard the news by word of mouth.

slang I got caught by the cops last night.

figurative She painted a beautiful picture by using only her emotions.

Grammatical Forms of by

• past tense: was
• plural: byes
• comparative: more by
• superlative: most by
• present tense: am
• future tense: will be
• perfect tense: have been
• continuous tense: being
• singular: by
• positive degree: by
• infinitive: to be
• gerund: being
• participle: been

Origin and Evolution of by

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Old English

Story behind the word: The word 'by' originated from the Old English word 'bi', which was derived from the Proto-Germanic word 'bi'.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'by' has evolved to be used in various contexts such as indicating proximity, agency, method, or means.