By – αυτή η μικροσκοπική λέξη (πρόθεση αλλά και επίρρημα) έχει πολλές χρήσεις.

1. ‘όχι αργότερα από / ‘πριν’ / ‘ακριβώς’

•  Μy mum has usually cooked lunch by 12.00.
• Our children were asleep by 10.30 every night.

• When I was young I had to be home by 11.00 o’clock at night.

2. ‘όταν υπολογίζουμε ηλικίες’

• My wife is younger than me by two years.

• Mike is older than Jamie by three years.
  

  Stand by Me (song) 

3. ‘στην Παθητική φωνή’

• I have always been attracted by people who go against the grain.

• My old friend, Tom, was hit by a car. Thank God he’s all right.

• People do amazing things by thinking outside the box.

4. ‘δίπλα (μου)’

• Come and sit by me. It’s warm here.

• I won’t cry, I won’t cry, no I won’t shed a tear

Just as long as you stand by me, stand by me. (Ben E. King)

• My family have stood by me through thick and thin (σημαίνει: στα δύσκολα).

6. 5. ‘με λεωφορείο’, ‘με ταξί’, ’με αεροπλάνο’, ‘με αυτοκίνητο’ ‘με πλοίο’

• by bus, by taxi, by plane/by air, by car, by ship

7. ‘μόνος/μόνη’

• She brought up her three children by herself.

• They managed to find the way out of the jungle by themselves.

• My child always does his homework by himself.

8. ‘πως συμβαίνει/γίνεται κάτι’

• They met by accident

• They paid by cash.

• It happened by accident.

• I ask my students to learn things by heart.

• I often contact my friends by phone.

9. ‘κοντά σε κάποιο χώρο’

• The boys cycled by the park.

• In the summer, we usually go up by the river.

• I love having picnics by the lake.

10. ‘στο … μέτρημα’

• I am taller than my sister by ten centimeters.

• Our flat is bigger than yours by fifteen square metres.

11. ‘αποταμιεύω’ (!!)

• Mary used to put a little money by every week for her holidays.

• People don’t put money by these days. Life has become too expensive.

• It’s always a good thing to put money by for a rainy day.

12. ‘για πράγματα …που έφυγαν’

• My youthful years have gone by!

• Five years have gone by since that hell day.

• My youth went by in what seems like no time at all.

• When you are a child time goes by so slowly.

13. ‘όταν δίνουμε πληροφορίες για κάποιον (καταγωγή, χαρακτήρα, εργασία κτλ.)

• Sheila is known to be, by nature, an intelligent and happy young lady.

• My wife is English by birth.

• I am an optimist by nature.

14. ‘πως πληρώνονται οι εργαζόμενοι’

• A growing number of people are paid by the hour these days.
• Baby sitters are usually paid by the hour.
• Some lawyers are paid by the minute.

15. ‘Πως ενοικιάζουμε αυτοκίνητα’

• Our customers usually hire cars by the week.
• I like to hire a car by the day because I never know how long I will need it.

16. ‘μέσω’

• I keep fit by means of long, daily exercise.
• You can combat boredom by means of long leisurely walks.
• You can get a university degree by means of hard study.
• One can get familiar with the sound of English by means of listening to songs.

17. ‘ταξιδεύοντας’

• We went to Kalamata by way of Tripoli.
• I went from Greece to England by air.
• I went from Athens to Salonika by road.
• I am travelling to Egypt mainly by sea.

18. ‘βρίσκοντας γιατρό’

• My brother found this doctor by way of a recommendation.
• I would rather go to a doctor by way of a recommendation.

19. ‘σαν αστείο’

• Don’t take any notice of him! He said it by way of a joke!
• He said what he wanted by way of a joke but we all knew he wasn’t joking.

20. ‘επικοινωνώντας’

• The Red Indians communicated over long distances by means of smoke signals.
• Most people communicated by means of letters and phone calls before the 1970s.
• Tribes in Africa communicated by means of drum beats.

21. ‘σε αγώνες…δρόμου’

• I beat my opponent in the running race by one metre.