Prepositions: By

Exercise 1 

Complete the sentences using by + the following:

canal    chance    credit card    hand    mistake

1) We hadn't arranged to meet. We met ________

2) I didn't intend to take your umbrella. I took it ________

3) Don't put the sweater in the washing machine. It has to be washed ________

4) I don't need cash. I can pay the bill ________

5) The town is not on the coast, but is connected to the sea ________

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1)

1   by chance

2   by mistake

3   by hand

4   by credit card

5   by canal

Exercise 2 

Put in by , in or on .

1) Jess usually goes to work ________ bus.

2) I saw Jane this morning. She was ________ the bus.

3) How did you get here? Did you come ________ train?

4) I decided not to go ________ car. I went ________ bike instead.

5) I didn't feel like walking home, so I came home ________ a taxi.

6) Sorry we're late. We missed the bus, so we had to come ________ foot.

7) How long does it take to cross the Atlantic ________ ship?

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2)

1   by

2   on

3   by

4   by car … on bike

5   in

6   on

7   by

Exercise 3 

All these sentences have a mistake. Correct them.

1) Did you come here by Kate’s car or yours? ________

2) I don't like travelling on bus. ________

3) These photographs were taken by a very good camera. ________

4) I know this music is from Beethoven, but I can't remember what it's called. ________

5) I couldn't pay by cash – I didn't have any money on me. ________

6) We lost the game because of a mistake of one of our players. ________

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3)

1   in Kate’s car

2   travelling by bus or travelling on the bus or travelling on buses

3   taken with a very good camera

4   this music is by Beethoven

5   pay cash or pay in cash

6   a mistake by one of our players

Exercise 4 

Write three sentences like the examples. Write about a song, a painting, a film, a book etc.

1) War and Peace is a book by Tolstoy.

2) Romeo and Juliet is a play by Shakespeare.

3) _____

4) _____

5) _____

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4)

Example answers:

3-5

–  Ulysses is a novel by James Joyce.

–  Yesterday is a song by Paul McCartney.

–  Guernica is a painting by Pablo Picasso.

Exercise 5  

Put in by , in , on or with .

1) Have you ever been bitten ________ a dog?

2) The plane was badly damaged ________ lightning.

3) We managed to put the fire out ________ a fire extinguisher.

4) Who is that man standing ________ the window?

5) These photographs were taken ________ a friend of mine.

6) I don't mind going ________ car, but I don't want to go ________ your car.

7) There was a small table ________ the bed ________ a lamp and a dock ________ it.

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5)

1   by

2   by

3   with

4   by

5   by

6   by car … in your car

7   by the bed with a lamp and a clock on it

Exercise 6  

Complete the sentences using by .

1) Clare's salary was £2,500 a month. Now it is £2,750.

     Her salary ________

2) daily newspaper used to cost 80 pence. From today it costs 90.

     The price has gone up ________

3) There was an election. Helen won. She got 25 votes and James got 23.

     Helen won ________

4) I went to Kate's house to see her, but she had gone out five minutes before I arrived.

     I missed ________

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6)

1   Her salary has increased by £250.

2   The price has gone up by ten pence.

3   Helen won by two votes.

4   I missed her/Kate by five minutes.

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