Other prepositions: by, with, without, about, for and of

By: how or who

Use by for a way of doing something, for transport, and for the person or thing that did an action in a passive sentence.

• We paid by card.
• She travels by train.
• The poem was written by a child.

Use by with -ing to say how: You can learn a lot by listening.

With and without

Use with for a tool, for company and for a feature. Use without for the opposite. After without, use a or an before a singular countable noun that has no other determiner (without a coat, but without my coat, without this key), and use the -ing form for an action that does not happen.

• He opened the box with a knife.
• I went to the cinema with my cousin.
• They live in the house with the red door.
• I can't work without music.
• Don't go out without a coat.
• She left without saying goodbye.

About

Use about for a topic, or for an approximate number.

• We talked about holidays.
• It is a film about a lost dog.
• The class costs about forty euros.

For

Use for for a purpose, for the person who gets something, and for a reason.

• This is a present for my aunt.
• A cup is for drinking.
• Thank you for your help.

Of

Use of for a part of something, for contents and for a quantity.

• He ate half of the cake.
• She drank a cup of tea.
• A group of students arrived.

Choosing the word

What comes next

See Prepositions of place: at, in, on, under, next to and others for place, Adjective + preposition for adjectives with prepositions, and The passive: be + past participle for by in passives.