Explanation
Use "by" for transport and for the person who does the action in a passive sentence. Use "with" for the tool or thing you use.
Look at "The room was cleaned by Tom with a new vacuum cleaner." "The room" is the result, "was cleaned" is the passive verb, "by Tom" shows who did it, and "with a new vacuum cleaner" shows the tool. Japanese often uses "で" for the tool, but English keeps the doer and the tool separate. For travel, say "by bus" or "by train," not "with bus" or "with train."
「by」は、移動手段や、受け身文で「だれがしたか」を表します。"with" は、使う道具や手段を表します。
例えば "The room was cleaned by Tom with a new vacuum cleaner." では、"The room" が結果、"was cleaned" が受け身の動詞、"by Tom" が「だれがしたか」、"with a new vacuum cleaner" が道具です。日本語では道具に「で」を使うことが多いですが、英語では「した人」と「道具」を分けて言います。移動では "by bus" や "by train" と言い、"with bus" や "with train" にはしません。
Examples
- I go to school by bus. 私はバスで学校に行きます。
- She comes to work by train. 彼女は電車で通勤します。
- I wrote the note with a pen. 私はペンでメモを書きました。
- The room was cleaned by Tom with a new vacuum cleaner. その部屋はトムが新しい掃除機で掃除しました。
- How do you get home, by car or by bike? 家には車で帰りますか、それとも自転車ですか。
- They did not travel by plane. 彼らは飛行機で移動しませんでした。
Common Mistakes
Japanese learners often say "with bus" or "with train" for transport.
Wrong: "I went to school with bus."
Right: "I went to school by bus."
They also mix up the agent and the tool in passive sentences.
Wrong: "The cake was made with my sister."
Right: "The cake was made by my sister."
日本語話者は、移動手段を "with" にしてしまうことがよくあります。
誤: "I went to school with bus." → 正: "I went to school by bus."
さらに、受け身文で「だれがしたか」と「道具」を取り違えやすいです。
誤: "The cake was made with my sister." → 正: "The cake was made by my sister."