by 用法, 例句和詳解

by 用法1

問：The window was broken by the boy.
被動句中的by 片語是否只能表示有生命的施動者(例如人), 而不可能表示無生命的東西?

答：準確的說法應當是: 被動句中的by-片語一般是表示有生命的施動者(例如人), 但是有時候也可以表示無生命的東西。例如:

1. Are these goods made by machinery?
   這些商品是機器生產的嗎?
2. The crops have been ruined by frost.
   莊稼被霜凍凍壞了。
3. His ease was suddenly disturbed by a coin flying into his carriage.
   他的安逸突然被飛到馬車裡的一枚硬幣給破壞了。
4. The window had been broken by a stone.
   窗戶被一塊石頭打碎了。
5. Coal has been replaced by oil.
   煤被石油所取代。

by 用法2

問：He caught her by the hand.
[原譯] 他用手抓住了她。

答：譯文完全誤解了原意。原文的意思是: 他抓住了她的手。要知道, 英文和中文在這方面的表達習慣是不同的(見the hand) :

1. I caught him by the shoulder.
   我抓住了他的肩膀。
2. They pulled her by the hair.
   他們扯著她的頭髮。

by 用法3

問：John was frightened by the new methods. 本句中by 是引出施動者, 還是表示手段?

答：分析這個有歧義的句子, 有助於我們深入瞭解by 用法和意義。大家知道, by 的最常見用法是在被動句中引出施動者:

This ability was first noticed by her father. (New Concept English, Book 4, p.14)
她的這種能力首先是由她父親發現的。

但是, by 也常常用來表示做某事的手段(If you do something by a particular thing, you do it using that thing.) 例如:

1. The money will be paid by cheque…
   此款將用支票支付…
2. You have to express the thought by action.
   你必須用行動來表達你的思想。

照此看來, 你提出的句子可以有兩種解釋:

(a) 有人用這些新方法來恐嚇約翰。(Someone frightened John by the new methods.)
(b) 約翰被這些新方法嚇壞了。(The new methods frightened John.)

同樣, 下面的句子也可以有兩種解釋:

Coal has been replaced by oil.
(a) 煤被石油所取代。(Oil has replaced coal.)
(b) 人們用石油來代替煤。(People have replaced coal by oil.)

by / before

問：《新英漢辭典》(p.156) 將finish the t ask by the end of the month 譯為“在月底前完成這任務”, 從譯文看, 上面的句子= finish the task before the end of the month。
難道by 與before 就一點兒區別也沒有了嗎?

答：before 與by 在表示時間方面是有區別的, before 的含義是: earlier than, 而by 的含義是: not later than, when the time indicated comes, at or before, 而且by 強調時間的終點(an end point) 。因此, 漢譯“…之前”沒有體現出英語介係詞by 與before 的區別, 但有時又找不到更合適的譯法。不過, 我們既然掌握了這兩個詞的區別, 我們在很多情況下還是有辦法在譯文裡把它們區分開來的。

1. He ought to be here by this time.
   這個時候他應該來了。
2. By the time we’d walked five miles, he was already exhausted.
   我們走了五公里的時候, 他就已經筋疲力盡了。
3. By the middle 1960s, the national networks were broadcasting most of their programs in color.
   到了60 年代中期全國電視網已經在播送大部分彩色電視節目了。

by / in (by car/ in a car)

問：We’re going to go __________ car.
A. in France in John’s
B. in France in John’s
C. to France in John’s
D. to France by John’s
《TOEFL、GRE 解題詞典》(譯林出版社, p.530) 說:“小車用in, 公共汽車用by。”
這種說法對嗎?

答：這種說法是不正確的。實際上, 小車亦可用by, 公共汽車有時也可用on 或in。請看下面的實例:

1. Did you walk or come by car?
   你是走來的, 還是坐小汽車來的?
2. I came here on the local bus.
   我是乘當地公共汽車來的。

那麼, 如何來解釋這些不同的用法呢? 正確的解釋是: 當籠統地或抽象地指交通工具時, 一般使用介係詞by, 並且表示交通工具的名詞前使用零冠詞; 當指某個特定的交通工具時, 則依據情況, 使用介係詞on 或in, 見bus。

by / until(till)

問：EED對介係詞by 的釋義是: If something happens by a particular time, it happens at or before that time. 對介係詞until 的解釋是: If something happens until a particular time, it happens before that time… If something does not happen until a particular time, it does not happen before that time and only happens after it.由此可見, by 1997 和until 1997 都可理解為1997 年前。這是不是意味著它們在語意和用法上沒有什麼區別呢?

答：雖然介係詞by 和介係詞until 都表示句子所描述的情景發生在by 片語和until 片語所指的時間之前, 但是它們所指的具體時間和用法卻是不相同的。by twelve o’clock 是指9 點、10 點、11 點或12 點, 而until twelve o’clock 則是指12 點。在用法上, until 用在肯定句中時, 要求動詞必須是持續動詞(be, live, like, love, wait), 而by 卻不是這樣。因此, 下面使用until 的句子都是錯誤的(應將until 改為by)

× You’ll have to leave until Monday midday at the latest.
× I will have finished this book until tomorrow.
×  Until the middle 1960s, the national networks were broadcasting most of their programs in color.

從語意上看, until 表示主句的情景在時間上持續到某個時刻為止。因此, 在肯定句中until (till) 只能與持續動詞連用。而by 則表示句子的動作發生在某個時刻或某個時刻之前。因此, 它只與暫態動詞(momentary verbs) 連用。

請比較:

1. (a) The troops remained there until midnight.
   部隊在那裡一直停留到午夜。
   (b) × The troops remained there by midnight.
2. (a) My girlfriend worked there till Christmas.
   我的女朋友一直工作到耶誕節。
   (b) × My girlfriend worked there by Christmas.
3. (a) She arrived by Christmas.
   她耶誕節前到達。
   (b) × She arrived by Christmas.

類似的例子:

1. I’ll have retired by the year 2020.
   到2020 年我將退休。
2. I have to keep writing until the end of next year.
   我得一直寫到明年年底。
3. My book will be finished by the end of next year.
   我的書明年年底前寫完。

by bus/ by the bus

見bus

by bus/ on the bus

見bus

by day/ by the day

見day3

by far

問：Paul is the better student by far.與Paul is by far the better student. 請問上列兩句中by far 的位置哪個是正確的? 它的語意是什麼?

答：by far 是提高程度用語, 可與形容詞或副詞的比較級或最高級連用。與形容詞或副詞的比較級連用時, 表示“…得多”、“ 遠比…”, 以強調相差程度之大。與形容詞或副詞的最高級連用時, 表示“ 最最”, 以加強最高級的語氣。by fa r 有一個很獨特之點, 就是它既可以放在形容詞或副詞比較級或最高級的前面, 也可以放在它們的後面(參見far, far more, far the best, much) 。

1. It was the (by far the best film / best film by far) that I’ve seen for a long time.
   它是我長時間以來所看過的最好的影片。
2. His work is better by far than that of any other printer in the city.
   他印刷的作品遠比城裡其他印刷商的好。
3. She is by far the better actress.
   她是個好得多的女演員。

by half (halves)

見half

by no means

問：The fact that … by no means implied, however he was prepared in all respects to bow to the will of the majority of his lending comrades.
[原譯] 事實⋯⋯無疑表明了毛準備在一切方面服從他的領導集團中大多數同志的意見。(《劍橋中華人民共和國史》, 海南出版社, p. 25)
譯文正確嗎?

答：原譯文把意思弄反了: 把否定譯成了肯定。要知道, by no means 是一個否定詞(決不), 相當於not at all :

1. She is by no means poor, in fact she’s quite rich.
   她一點兒也不窮, 事實上, 她是相當富的。
2. With all its advantages, the computer is by no means without its limitations.
   電腦雖然有許多優點, 但決不是沒有局限性的。

[試譯] 這一事實⋯ ⋯決不意味著他準備在各個方面服從領導集團中大多數同志的意志。

by sea/ by the sea

見sea

by + V–ing

問：“How can I help you the most ?”
“_______ out of t he way.”
A. for you to stay
B. To stay
C. By staying
D. With your staying
答案為C。但我不理解by 在此處的含義。

答：by + V-ing 常常表示手段、方法或方式, 可用來回答“how”的問題:

1. How did you finish the job so soon? – By climbing on the roof.
   你用什麼方法這麼快就幹完了? – 我爬到屋頂上幹的。
2. You can lock this window by moving this catch to the left.
   你把窗鉤向左擰, 就能把窗戶鎖上。
3. They were making a living by selling souvenirs to the tourists.
   他們靠向旅遊者出售紀念品來謀生。

小練習：請選出正確的答案。（留言作答）
He has a theory that it is possible to tell the time in daylight by _________ into cat’s eyes.
A. looking
B. to look
C. look
D. looked.

by when / since when / when

見when(adv.)7