by [baɪ]

prep.

靠近;在…旁边;常置于表示被动的动词后,表示使为者;表示方式

adv.

经过;表示保留或保存时用;短暂拜访

用法考证:

1、by+地点名词,表方位,意为:“在……旁边”。如:by the lake/river/tree/window/door等。表示位置“靠近,在……旁边”相当于beside

Some people are drawing by (beside)the lake.一些人在湖边画画。

She searched the top of the hill and stopped to rest on a big rock by the side of the path.她到了山顶,然后停下来在路边的一块大石头上休息。

a house by the river

河边的一所房子

The telephone is by the window.

电话在窗户旁边。

Come and sit by me.

过来挨着我坐。

There is a pumping station by the river.河边有个抽水站。

He lives by the sea. 他住在海滨。  
He lives near the sea. 他住在离海不远处。  此时要注意它与介词near有所不同,即by 表示的距离更“近”。

2、by+时间名词,意为:“到……时,在……之前,不迟于;在…之前

”。如:by now/then/this time/next Friday/the end of等。例句:By the end of last year,another new gymnasium had been completed.到去年年底,又有一座新体育馆峻工了。

Can you finish the work by five o'clock?

你五点钟前能完成工作吗?

I'll have it done by tomorrow.

我将于明天之前让人做完这件事。

By this time next week we'll be in New York.

下星期的这个时候我们将在纽约。

He ought to have arrived by now/by this time .

他现在应该已经到了。

By the time (that) this letter reaches you I will have left the country.

你收到这封信时,我已离开这个国家了。

By eight o'clock he had arrived at my hotel...

到8点时,他已经到达我住的宾馆了。

He ought to be here by now.他现在应该在这儿了。

Be here by four o'clock. (4:00之前到这儿。)

【经典考题】

How many English songs had you learned___A___ the end of last term?

A. by B. with C. at D. in

解析: by the end of last term, 译为”到上个学期末“。


3、by+名词,可用来表方法、方式、手段等。

(1)by+the+可数的时间、长度、重量等名词,意为:“按……计算”。如:by the pound/yard/meter/day/month等。

例句:Cleaning women in big cities usually get paid by the hour.城市里的女清洁工通常按小时获得报酬。

By my watch it is two o'clock.

我的表是两点钟。

I could tell by the look on her face that something terrible had happened.

从她的脸色我可以看出,发生了可怕的事情。

By law, you are a child until you are 18.

按照法律规定,18岁之前是未成年人。


By也可以(表示程度、数量)

The bullet missed him by two inches.

子弹只差两英寸就击中他了。

House prices went up by 10%.

房价上涨了10%。

It would be better by far (= much better) to…

那比…好得多。


(2)by+交通工具、交通方式名词,意为:“通过……,乘……”。还可以比较广泛地用于表示通过什么方式等,在句中主要用作方式状语,其中通常不用冠词或其他限定词。如

by train/taxi/bus/truck/plane/water/air等。

go by bus / plane / train 乘汽车(飞机、火车)去

travel by land / sea / air 陆上(海上、空中)旅行

The house is heated by gas.

这房子是煤气供暖的。

May I pay by cheque?

我能用支票付款吗?

I will contact you by letter.

我会给你写信联系的。

to travel by boat/bus/car/plane

乘船 / 公共汽车 / 轿车 / 飞机

to travel by air/land/sea

坐飞机;经陆路 / 海路

Switch it on by pressing this button.

按下这个开关启动它。

注意,汉语说“步行”,英语习惯上用on foot, 而不用 by foot。 

It takes a long time to go there by train,it`s quicker by bus.乘火车去那儿要花很长时间,公路比较快。

但是,若表示交通工具的名词前插有定语修饰语,则也可以用冠词。如:  
We’re going by the 9:30 train. 我们坐9:30的火车去。  
We went to Shanghai by a large ship. 我们乘一艘大船去上海。  

They came here by the first bus. 他们是坐第一班车来的。 

4、by+数量词。

(1)表升降、增减的程度。如:by one-fifth/two feet等。

例句:With production up by 60%,the company has had another excellent year.产量上升了百分之六十,这家公司今年的业绩极好。

The bullet missed him by two inches.

子弹只差两英寸就击中他了。

House prices went up by 10%.

房价上涨了10%。

It would be better by far (= much better) to…

那比…好得多。

Violent crime has increased by10 percent since last year.

暴力犯罪自去年以来增加了10%。

(2)表示距离和面积、体积中的尺寸及乘除法中的运算。如:by 6 inches/four feet/nine yards/a hair`s breadth等。

例句:The bed is three meters wide by two meters long,and can fit at least four at one time.那张床三米宽,两米长,一次至少可以睡四个人。

4 divided by 2 is 2. 4除以2等于2。

5、by+身体部位名词或衣服名词,表示被抓住身体/衣物的某一部分。如:by the hair/hand/arm/nose/horns/sleeve等。表示被抓住身体/衣物的某一部分,常与动词catch/seize/take/hold/grab等连用。

例句:The policeman caught the thief by the arm.警察抓住了小偷的胳膊。

I took him by the hand.

我拉着他的手。

She seized her by the hair.

她揪住她的头发。

Pick it up by the handle!

抓着手柄把它提起来!

He caught her by the shoulder and turned her around...

他抓住她的肩膀把她的身子转了过来。


6.用在表示被动的动词后面,引出使动者或动作的行使者等


He was knocked down by a bus.

他被公共汽车撞倒了。

a play by Ibsen

易卜生写的剧本

Who's that book by?

谁是那本书的作者?

I was frightened by the noise.

我被那响声吓坏了。

The feast was served by his mother and sisters.

这顿美餐是他母亲和他的姐妹们准备的。


7.位置于不带the 的名词前表示原因:

They met by chance.

他们不期而遇。

I did it by mistake.

我误做了这事。

The coroner's verdict was ‘death by misadventure’.

验尸官判定是“意外致死”。

表示通过什么方式:

by phone 用电话 by telegram 用电报  
by letter 用信件 by express 用快件  
by air mail 用航空邮件 by ordinary mail 用平信  
by post 用邮寄 by radio 用无线电   
by hand 用手工 by machine 用机器


8表示独立完成某事:

I didn't know if I could raise a child by myself.

我不知道自己是否能够独自养大一个孩子。

Sarah couldn't move the heavy box by herself.。

Sarah不能独自搬动这个重箱子。

9. by +doing sth.

意为"通过做某事”,表示方式、方法、手段等,在句中做方式状语。

【经典考题】

You can improve your English ___B___practicing more.

A. by B. with C. of D. in

注意: 对by引导的介词短语作方式状语, 提问时用how。

—— How do you study for a test?

—— By listeningto tapes.

by用于一些固定短语中, 如:

by the way 顺便问;

one by one 一个接一个的;

step by step 一步步地;

day by day 一天接一天地;

by accident 偶然地…

by and by 不久;很快

By and by she met an old man with a beard.

她不久就碰到了一个大胡子老头。

abide by(=be faithful to ; obey)忠于;遵守。

by accident(=by chance, accidentally)偶然地,意外. Without accident(=safely) 安全地,

arise from(=be caused by) 由…引起.

by birth 在出生上,论出身,按血统

stand by做好准备;准备行动;坐视不理;袖手旁观;继续支持(身处困境的人);坚持,遵守,信守(原有的决定、承诺或宣言)

British and American warships are standing by to evacuate their citizens if necessary...

英国和美国的战舰已准备好在必要时将本国公民撤离出去。

The Secretary of Defence has said that he would not stand by and let democracy be undermined...

国防部长已经表示自己不会坐视民主遭到破坏。

The police just stood by and watched as the missiles rained down on us.

当投掷物雨点似的落到我们头上时,警察只是袖手旁观。

How can one stand by and do nothing?

安能袖手旁观?

I wouldn't break the law for a friend, but I would stand by her if she did.

我不会为朋友去犯法,但如果她犯了法的话我会支持她。

He says that he will stand by his men and he has rounded on his critics.

他说他会支持自己的部下,并且已经严厉谴责了他的批评者们。


The decision has been made and I have got to stand by it.

决定已经作出了,我必须要遵守。


He continues to insist that all he wrote in the book is nothing but the truth, and that he willstand by his word.

他仍坚持说,他在书里写的全都是事实,他会信守自己说过的话。