Particle guide

Phrasal verbs with by

The particle by starts from one core idea — passing close to or alongside. Sink In groups its verbs by the recurring ways that idea plays out, so verbs that look unrelated line up into patterns.

27 phrasal verbs · 6 meaning groups

byPassingJust EnoughBesideTime PassingReserveGuide

The meaning map of by

Passing

Something moves near a point and continues past it.

drive byfly bypass byrun byrush bysail byslip byspeed bywalk byzip by

Just Enough

BY means you have just enough to keep going. It is not a lot, but it reaches the line you need.

get byscrape by

Beside

Something stays near another thing.

come bydrop bysit bystand bystay bystop byswing by

Time Passing

Time passes the same way. Moments stream past and are gone.

fly bygo bypass byroll byslip bytick by

Reserve

Move it just to one side, out of the main flow, to keep for later.

lay byput by

Guide

BY shows the thing that guides you: a rule, promise, name, or belief.

abide bygo bylive bystand byswear by

Practice these meanings in Sink In

The app turns each meaning group into short review cards: recognition, particle cloze, meaning-to-particle recall, and schema matching.

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