Spotlight - 13.2019

56 Spotlight 13/2019 SPOKEN ENGLISH

The word by is very common in spoken English. It has a number

of basic meanings, and it’s also used in many idiomatic expres-

sions.

Basic meanings

Yo u c a n u s e by to talk about time, meaning “not later than”:

⋅ We n e e d t o g e t t o t h e c o n c e r t b y s i x. ( = a t s i x o r e a r l i e r )

Yo u c a n a l s o u s e t h e e x p r e s s i o n by the time to join two ideas:

⋅ The sun’s going down. It will be dark by the time we get

home.

The word by can also mean “next to” or “near” when talking

about places:

⋅ We s t a y e d i n a s m a l l h o t e l b y t h e s e a.

⋅ I was standing by the window, so I saw everything that

happened.

By can be used to say who wrote or created something:

⋅ Have you heard the new song by Camila Cabello?

And you can use by to say how you do something:

⋅ I usually go to work by bus.

⋅ Can I pay by credit card?

With this meaning, by can also be followed by verb + “-ing”:

⋅ She learned English by reading books and listening to the

BBC.

⋅ I lost two kilos in a month just by cutting out cakes and ice

cream.

SPOKEN ENGLISH

Fine by me!

How does one use the word “by” in conversational

English? Look at the examples below, and read the

explanations to learn some interesting phrases.

By ADRIAN DOFF

MEDIUM PLUS

Idioms

Expressions with by often have a more idiomatic meaning. So,

if you learn a poem by heart, you can recite it from memory. If

you write a letter by hand, you use a pen (you don’t type it); and

if you wash clothes by hand, you don’t put them in the washing

machine. If you say you did something by mistake or by acci-

dent, you didn’t intend to do it:

⋅ How silly of me! Her name’s Jean, but I called her Joan by

mistake.

If you do something by yourself, it can mean you do it alone:

⋅ I didn’t want to talk to anyone, so I went for a long walk by

myself.

By yourself can also mean you do something without the help

of other people:

⋅ Can I help you with your suitcase? You can’t carry it by

yourself.

Here are some other expressions with by that are common in

conversation.

Yo u c a n u s e by the way when you want to change the topic of

a discussion:

⋅ Oh, by the way, have you bought the tickets yet?

Yo u c a n u s e by any chance to ask about a possibility:

⋅ Have you seen my phone by any chance? (= Maybe you

have seen it.)

⋅ Are you Russian by any chance? (= I think you are, but I’m

not sure.)

Yo u c a n u s e (It’s) fine by me to agree to something:

⋅ Is it OK if we stop for coffee? — Yes, fine by me.

...by...

The word by is often used in three-word expressions, meaning

“o n e a f t e r t h e o t h e r ” : little by little, bit by bit, day by day, step

by step:

⋅ Keep practising, and little by little, your English will

become more fluent.

⋅ After taking the medicine, he grew stronger day by day.

⋅ We can’t change the management of the company all

at once. We have to introduce

changes step by step. (= one change

at a time)

⋅ The leaflet gives you step-by-

step instructions for putting

the shelves together.

By the way, would you like to

practise the use of “by”? You’ll

find exercises on this topic in

Spotlight plus: spotlight-online.

de/spotlight-plus

Exercise

Look at sentences A–D below. To what or to whom do

you think they refer (1–4)?

A. I know it by heart. 1. a meeting

B. She can’t do it by herself. 2. a poem

C. I’ll be there by seven o’clock. 3. a novel

D. It’s by Tolstoy. 4. a very old person

Answers

A–2B–4C–1D–3

cut out [kVt (aUt]

, hier: weglassen

leaflet [(li:flEt]

, Fa l t b l a t t ; hier:

(Aufbau)Anleitung

recite [ri(saIt]

, vortragen