Page 229 - Advanced English Grammar in Use

A b o u t a n d o n ; b y a n d w i t h

About and on
We can use about and on to mean 'concerning' or 'on the subject of.
We use about, not on after the verbs argue, complain, find out, joke, know, protest, quarrel,
read, teach (someone), tell (someone), worry; ask, enquire/inquire, learn, think (see also Unit
111); agree, hear, laugh (see also Unit 112); care, wonder (see also Unit 113); and after the
nouns argument, chat, fuss, joke, letter, misunderstanding, quarrel:
• I didn't find out about Sara's illness until my brother telephoned me.
• Misunderstanding about the cause of malaria is common.
We use on, not about, after the verbs comment, concentrate, focus, insist, reflect (= think):
• I found it difficult to concentrate on my homework with the football on TV.
• They insisted on seeing my passport, even though I was nowhere near the border.

After some other verbs and nouns we can use either about or on. These include the verbs
advise, agree, decide, disagree, lecture, speak, speculate, talk, write, and the nouns advice,
agreement, book/article/paper, consultation, decision, idea, information, lecture, opinion,
question:
• The press is starting to speculate about/on whether the minister can survive this time.
• There is little agreement about/on what caused the building to collapse.

When we refer to formal or academic speech or writing, after the verbs and nouns in B we can
use either about or on. However, we prefer about when we refer to more informal speech or
writing. Compare:
• She spoke on the recent advances in teaching reading, (this suggests a formal speech such as
a lecture; or ...spoke about...) and
• Jim and Anita seemed surprised when I spoke about buying their car. (this suggests an
informal conversation; not '...spoke on...')
• We've been asked to study a book on the history of Norway, {or ...a book about...) and
• It's a book about three men and their dog on a boating holiday, {not ...a book on...)

By and with
We can use by and with to talk about how something is done. We use by (followed by a noun or
-ing) when we talk about what action we take to do something; we use with (followed by a
noun) when we talk about what we use to do something:
• He only avoided the children by braking hard and swerving to the right.
• She succeeded by sheer willpower.
• I didn't have a bottle opener, so I had to open it with a screwdriver.
• I told him that he couldn't hope to catch a big fish with a small rod like that.
We use by in certain common phrases:
• I turned the computer off by mistake and lost all my work.
Other phrases like this include by accident; by phone; by bus/car, etc.; by air/road/rail/
land/sea; by cheque / credit card; by degrees/stages; by heart; by force; by hand; by post/fax/
e-mail {or E-mail).
However, if there is a determiner before the noun (e.g. a(n), the, this, that, my, her) or if the
noun is plural, we use a preposition other than by. For example:
• I ordered it on the phone. • I learnt about it in an email from my boss.
• She turned up in her new car. • I never travel in buses.

With: reasons = By: time =