Functional Prepositions: By, With, For, About, Of, As, Like — English Grammar Exercises
by, with, for, about, of, as, like — use each one precisely
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By, with, without
| Word | Use for | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| by | how something is done — method, transport, communication | by car, by email, by hand |
| with | the tool or instrument, or who you are with | cut it with a knife, go with friends |
| without | the absence of something | without my glasses, without help |
✅ We travelled by boat.
✅ He cut the bread with a knife.
✅ I can't read this without my glasses.
Watch out: by is also the doer in passive sentences — This book was written by a famous author.
For
- for + purpose or reason: a knife for cutting bread, thank you for your help
- for + the person who receives something: a present for you
As vs Like
The most common confusion in this topic.
| as | the real role or function — it really is that |
| like | similar to — it only resembles that |
✅ She works as a nurse. (she really is a nurse)
✅ He sings like a professional. (he is not one — just similar)
✅ I used my phone as a torch. (it did the job of a torch)
✅ It tastes like chicken. (similar taste)
Test: if it really is that role → as. If it only resembles it → like.
Of and About
- of — material or composition, and relationship: made of gold, a photo of my family
- made of (material still visible: a table made of wood) vs made from (material changed: cheese made from milk)
- about — the topic of something: a book about history, talk about the weather
Common mistakes
| ❌ | ✅ |
|---|---|
| I go to work with bus. | I go to work by bus. |
| He works like a teacher. (if he really is one) | He works as a teacher. |
| Cut the cake by a knife. | Cut the cake with a knife. |
| It's a film of dinosaurs. | It's a film about dinosaurs. |
| Thank you of your help. | Thank you for your help. |
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We travelled to the island ___ boat.
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by
Use 'by' for means of transport — by boat, by car, by train.
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He cut the bread ___ a sharp knife.
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with
Use 'with' for the tool or instrument you use to do something.
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This special knife is ___ cutting bread.
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for
Use 'for' to express the purpose of something.
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She works ___ a nurse in the city hospital.
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as
Use 'as' for a real role or job — she really is a nurse.
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He isn't a professional, but he sings ___ a real star.
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like
Use 'like' for resemblance — he is not a star, he only sounds similar.
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The ring is made ___ gold.
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of
Use 'made of' when the material is still visible in the finished object.
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We talked ___ our holiday plans for hours.
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about
Use 'about' for the topic of a conversation or text.
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I can't read this menu ___ my glasses.
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without
Use 'without' to show that something is missing or absent.
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She sent the documents ___ email this morning.
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by
Use 'by' for the method of communication — by email, by phone, by post.
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I bought a birthday present ___ my sister.
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for
Use 'for' to show who receives or benefits from something.
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I went to the cinema ___ my friends.
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with
Use 'with' to show who accompanies you.
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This famous novel was written ___ a young author.
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by
Use 'by' for the person who does the action in a passive sentence.
Functional Prepositions: Complete Grammar Reference
Functional prepositions — by, with, for, about, of, as, like — do not describe physical location. They carry semantic weight: they signal methods, tools, purposes, topics, relations, and comparisons. Research from the Cambridge Learner Corpus shows that preposition errors are the single most frequent error type in B1–B2 writing, accounting for roughly 20% of all tagged mistakes. A large share of these involve not place prepositions (in, on, at) but functional ones. A separate analysis of the International Corpus of Learner English found that by/with confusion and of/from confusion together account for over 40% of functional preposition errors at intermediate level. These 45 questions across 3 practice blocks address every major pair and the most productive fixed collocations.
By — Method, Means, and Agent
'By' describes how something is done at the level of method or channel, and introduces the agent in passive sentences.
I'll send the contract by email. (channel of communication)
He deleted the file by mistake. (fixed expression — unintentional)
This novel was written by Tolstoy. (agent in a passive sentence)
Key rule: with means of transport and communication, 'by' takes no article — 'by bus', never 'by the bus'. Fixed expressions include: by hand, by heart, by accident, by chance, by mistake, by credit card.
With — Tools, Accompaniment, and Manner
'With' connects an action to a physical instrument you hold, a person who accompanies you, or the manner of an action.
He opened the lock with a hairpin. (held instrument)
I went to the concert with my sister. (accompaniment)
Please handle the glassware with care. (manner)
The by/with contrast in one context: 'written by hand' (method — without a machine) vs 'written with a pen' (the physical instrument used). Both can be true of the same action.
For — Purpose, Recipients, and Collocations
'For' signals the purpose of an object, the intended recipient of something, the reason behind an action, and appears in a cluster of high-frequency collocations.
This gift is for my mother. (recipient)
She apologised for being late. (reason — apologise for + -ing)
Paris is famous for its architecture. (collocation)
Who is responsible for this project? (collocation)
Critical collocations with 'for': famous for, responsible for, grateful for, apologise for, thank someone for, good for, ready for, wait for. These are fixed — substituting 'about' or 'of' is a consistent learner error.
About — Topics and Emotional Focus
'About' introduces the topic of thought, speech, or emotion — what someone is thinking, talking, reading, or worried about.
I'm really worried about my driving test. (object of worry)
She's been complaining about the noise. (topic of complaint)
I'm reading a book about space travel. (topic of book)
Common collocations with 'about': talk about, think about, worry about, hear about, know about, complain about, dream about, care about, be excited about, be curious about.
Of — Relation, Composition, and Fixed Collocations
'Of' is the most frequent preposition in English and signals belonging, composition, quantity, and a large set of adjective collocations.
She's very proud of her achievements. (collocation — proud of)
She's tired of working late every night. (collocation — tired of)
The team consists of five members. (consists of — never 'from')
A cup of tea; a piece of cake. (quantity structures)
Russian interference note: Russian «состоит из» uses «из» (≈ from), which produces the error 'consists from'. English requires 'of'. Similarly, 'proud of' maps to Russian «гордиться» + instrumental — the preposition does not transfer.
As vs Like — Role vs Resemblance
This is the highest-difficulty pair in the set. 'As' means the person or thing genuinely is what follows. 'Like' means the person or thing resembles what follows but is not identical to it.
He runs like a professional athlete — but he's a dentist. (resemblance, not identity)
As a child, I spent summers at my grandparents'. (when I was a child)
Stop behaving like a child! You're 30. (comparison — similar to a child)
The function test: replace 'as' with 'in the role of' — if it makes sense, 'as' is correct. Replace 'like' with 'similarly to' — if it makes sense, 'like' is correct. 'She works like a nurse' fails the role test and passes the similarity test — which reveals the intended meaning.
Common Mistakes
✗ He wrote the essay by a pencil. → ✓ He wrote it with a pencil.
✗ She is responsible about the project. → ✓ She is responsible for the project.
✗ He thanked me about helping him. → ✓ He thanked me for helping him.
✗ I often think for my childhood. → ✓ I often think about my childhood.
✗ The team consists from five members. → ✓ The team consists of five members.
✗ She works like a nurse at the hospital. → ✓ She works as a nurse at the hospital.
✗ I'm not interested by this offer. → ✓ I'm not interested in this offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between 'by' and 'with' in English?
'By' describes a method or means — how something is done at an abstract level: 'by bus', 'by email', 'by hand', 'by mistake'. 'With' describes a tool or instrument you physically hold and use: 'with a pen', 'with scissors', 'with a spoon'. The test: if you can hold the object in your hand, use 'with'. If it's an abstract method or means of transport/communication, use 'by'. 'With' also expresses accompaniment ('with my friends') and manner ('with care').
When do you use 'as' and when do you use 'like'?
'As' introduces an actual role or function — the person or thing genuinely is what follows: 'She works as a nurse' (she IS a nurse), 'He used the chair as a table' (the chair functioned as a table). 'Like' introduces a comparison — the person or thing resembles but is not identical to what follows: 'He runs like a professional athlete' (similar, but he's not one). A common error: 'She works like a nurse' implies she is not actually a nurse. Use 'as' for real roles; 'like' for similarities.
Which preposition follows 'responsible', 'famous', and 'interested'?
These are fixed collocations: 'responsible for' (never 'about' or 'of'), 'famous for' (never 'about'), 'interested in' (never 'by' — though the Russian instrumental case suggests 'by'). Other key collocations: 'afraid of', 'proud of', 'tired of', 'good at', 'depends on', 'consists of', 'apologise for', 'thank someone for'. Learning these as complete chunks — adjective + preposition — is more reliable than trying to derive them from rules.
What is the difference between 'made of' and 'made from'?
'Made of' is used when the original material is still visible or identifiable in the final product: 'a table made of wood' (you can see the wood), 'a ring made of gold' (the gold is apparent). 'Made from' is used when the material has been completely transformed and is no longer recognisable: 'wine made from grapes' (no grapes visible), 'paper made from wood pulp'. In practice, 'made of' is the safer default for solid, visible materials.
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