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Agent and method against instrument.
Why you specifically
By và with rất dễ nhầm vì tiếng Việt thường dùng “bằng” hoặc “do” cho nhiều trường hợp khác nhau. Trong tiếng Anh, by dùng để chỉ tác nhân, tức là người hoặc vật thực hiện hành động, nhất là trong câu bị động: The report was written by my manager. With dùng để chỉ công cụ, dụng cụ, phương tiện hoặc thứ được dùng để làm việc gì: I cut the paper with scissors. Cách tự kiểm tra rất đơn giản: nếu muốn hỏi “ai làm?” thì thường dùng by; nếu muốn hỏi “dùng cái gì?” thì dùng with. Ví dụ: The cake was made by my mother (mẹ tôi là người làm bánh), nhưng I made the cake with an oven and a mixer (tôi dùng lò nướng và máy trộn). Lưu ý là by không thay cho with, và with không thay cho by trong các câu này.
The rule
By and with often look similar, but they do different jobs. Use by to show the agent, the person or thing that does the action, especially in passive sentences: The letter was written by Sarah. Use with to show the instrument, tool, or object used to do the action: He cut the rope with a knife. In Vietnamese, learners often overuse bằng for both meanings, but English separates these ideas. A useful test is: if you mean “ai làm?”, use by; if you mean “dùng cái gì?”, use with. Sometimes context can allow either word with a different meaning, so always check whether you mean the doer or the tool.
The trap
The report was written with my manager.
The report was written by my manager.
Use by to show the agent, the person who did the action.
I cut the paper by scissors.
I cut the paper with scissors.
Use with to show the instrument or tool used to do the action.
The email was sent with Alex.
The email was sent by Alex.
Use by to identify who performed the action in a passive sentence.
She opened the box by a knife.
She opened the box with a knife.
Use with for the tool or object used to do the action.
Prove it
14 drills
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