 In this video, we're talking about when to use the preposition by and when to use the preposition with. Of course, I'm Jennifer from jforisenglish.com and this channel is dedicated to helping you sound like a fluent, confident, natural English speaker. Now before we go any further, make sure you subscribe and hit that bell icon so you're notified every time I post a new lesson. Now let's dive in with this video. In this lesson, let's talk about when to use the preposition by and when to use the preposition with. This is a really great question that one of my students asked me. Now first, let's talk about the passive voice because when you're using the passive voice, you have to use the preposition by. So the passive voice is formed with our subject, the verb to be conjugated according to the subject and time reference, and then our past participle. Now you don't have to with this passive voice, but if you want to identify the someone or something, you would use the preposition by. So let's take a look at this example. The letter surprised me. Now is this sentence in the active or the passive voice? What do you guys think? Put it in the comments, active or passive? The letter surprised me. This sentence is active. Now I want you to take it, change it to the passive and put it in the comments. Make sure you get it in there. It would be, I was surprised by the letter, by the letter. So the passive voice always requires the preposition by when we identify the someone or something that causes that action. Now let's talk about active sentences. When you're using active sentences, you have the choice. You can use by or with. Now we use by when it's followed by a verb, but not just any verb. It's a jaren verb. It's a verb in ing form. So remember by plus jaren verb in ing form. And we use with when it's followed by a noun. So by jaren with noun. Noun of course would be something or someone. So let's use our verb surprise again. I can say she surprised me. She surprised me. This is an active sentence. My verb surprise is just being conjugated in the past. She surprised me. Now let's say I want to give more information and I want to identify how. How did she surprise me? So I can continue on with this sentence and I can use by with a jaren. So I just need an action. She surprised me by buying me a new car. That'd be a pretty nice surprise. By buying me a new car. The verb by of course needs to be in a jaren. A little weird because by and by sound exactly the same. One's a preposition. One's a verb. She surprised me by buying me a new car. Or maybe she surprised me by cleaning the kitchen. By cleaning the kitchen. So it can be any action, any verb really that makes sense grammatically. And that verb is going to be in the jaren. And remember this just tells you how. How did she surprise you? So now I want you to try. She surprised me by and we need our verb in jaren form. So complete the sentence and put your answer in the comments below. Now let's talk about with. I could also say she surprised me with. Now because I use the preposition with I know that it's a noun that comes next. So it's a something or a someone. Now I could say she surprised me with the car. With the new car. So the action was buying me a new car. That we need the preposition by. She surprised me by buying me a new car. But here if I just want to talk about the something I could use the car with with. She surprised me with the car. She surprised me with the news. She surprised me with the promotion. So it could be anything. But remember preposition with we need a noun something or someone. So now you try. She surprised me with and we need a noun. So put your example in the comments. Finish the sentence and put it in the comments. So that's the difference. Nice and easy. Just remember when it's the passive voice it doesn't matter if it's a verb or a noun. It's always the preposition by always. That's the structure of the passive voice. Now in an active sentence when you want to give more information about that action we can use buy with a jaren and with a noun. If you found this video helpful please hit the like button share it with your friends and of course subscribe. Now before you go make sure you head on over to my website jforistenglish.com and download your free speaking guide. In this guide I share six tips on how to speak English fluently and confidently. And until next time happy studying. Alright this is a really great difference to know so make sure you leave your example sentences in the comments. You need to practices to get comfortable with it and I can't wait to read your examples. I'll see you in my next video. Bye.