Quando usar a preposição BY?

Esse é o segundo post duma sequência especial para preposições inglesas. Confira o primeiro post aqui. Usa-se a preposição BY quando:

1 - o sentido é de NEXT TO:

a. She's sitting by her computer and talking on the phone.

b. These beautiful buildings are by the water.

c. Would you like to live or work by a river or a lake?

d. These office buildings are by a park.

e. They're sitting by each other and watching a movie.

2 - quando by equivale a "method", "way". Note que depois de by o verbo geralmente fica no gerúndio.

a. You can learn English by going online.

b. You can split wood by using an axe.

c. He's a loan shark. By making loans at high interest rates, he has become very rich. 

d. He's a surfer. He rides on ocean waves by using a surfboad.

3 - quando você se refere a meios de transporte. by = method of transportation

a. You can get around this city very easily by bus.

b. The fastest way to get around this city is by subway.

4 - quando by significa "before"

a. He needs to get to his meeting by 5:30.

5 - by também é usado com verbos de movimento, mostrando a ideia passar por um lugar e deixá-lo pra trás:

a. We walked by your house this morning.

b. Who was that man who just ran by us?

c. We drove by many motels before we found one

that had a "vacancy" sign.

6 - é usado antes de pronomes pessoais (me, her, him) para dar o sentido de que algo está a fácil de alcance de alguém:

a. Hilda always has a calculator by her when she

balances her checkbook.

b. Norio keeps a map by him when he drives to

a new place.

c. Do you have a dictionary by you when you write

essays in English?

obs: quando usado antes de pronomes pessoais como him ou her, o sentido é o que acabamos de ver no item anterior. Mas quando ele é usado antes de pronomes reflexivos, como himself, yourself, o sentido é de "alone" ou "without help". Veja:

a. Did Simone fix her car by herself? (Did she

fix her car without any help?)

b. No, thank you. I can do this by myself. (No,

thank you. I can do this alone. I don't need help.)

c. Youssuf is paying his college costs by himself.

(Youssuf isn't receiving a scholarship or other

financial help to pay his college costs.)

d. Hyo-Jin and her husband didn't paint their house

by themselves. They hired someone to help them.