Common Mistakes : By

preposition

.BAD: He managed to open the lid by a screwdriver .GOOD: He managed to open the lid with a screwdriver

:(You do something with a tool, instrument, etc (NOT by .He opened the envelope with a chopstick .You can’t eat spaghetti with a spoon

.BAD: I am staying in a small town by Oxford .GOOD: I am staying in a small town near Oxford

:by = next to or very close to something .I’ve been sitting by the phone all morning waiting for her to ring .I’ll meet you on the corner, by the bank

:When talking about the position of towns, cities, countries etc, use near .I spent the first month in a little village called Farchant, near Garmen-Partenkirchen

.BAD: We can gain a lot of knowledge by these books .GOOD: We can gain a lot of knowledge from these books

:You get information from a source .You can learn a great deal from a good dictionary .I obtained their new number from directory enquiries

.BAD: Being locked up is a punishment by itself .GOOD: Being locked up is a punishment in itself .BAD: Money by itself is of no interest to me .GOOD: Money in itself is of no interest to me

:in itself = without anything added .His offer to pay for the repairs is in itself an admission of guilt