Difference Between By and Besides

Grammar helps assign the fundamentals for an impressive presentation of communicative skills. It comprises the framework, methodology, and construct of a language. Sentences begin to make sense solely after grammar has been appropriately used.

Key Takeaways

1. “By” is a preposition used to indicate proximity, means, or a passage of time, while “besides” is a preposition or adverb to indicate something additional or an exception to a statement.
2. “By” can be used to show location, method, or a deadline, whereas “besides” is used to introduce additional information or an alternative option.
3. Both “by” and “besides” function as prepositions but serve different purposes within a sentence: “by” focuses on proximity or means, while “besides” introduces additional information or options.

By vs. Besides

The difference between by and besides is that the word ‘By’ is often used as a noun, a preposition, an adverb, and an adjective, whereas the word ‘beside’ is often used as a preposition and an adverb.

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Comparison Table

Parameter of Comparison	By	Beside
Meaning	The word ‘by’ is often relevant to time, place, or action and refers to an individual or thing doing something. For example The train went right by Mr. Sharma without stopping at the station.	The word ‘beside’ can be used solely in relevance to place and refers to indicating something next to something or somebody.
Grammatical form	By can be used as a preposition, adverb, noun, adjective, and interjection.	‘Beside’ can be treated only as a sentence preposition and adverb.
Usage in daily life	The word ‘by’ is considered an informal preposition used most commonly in our daily conversations.	The word ‘beside’ is a formal proposal not commonly used in daily conversations.
As a preposition	By as a preposition refers to nearby a particular person or thing. For example, The fair was beside the park.	‘Beside’ can be used as a preposition to denote something close to a particular thing or person. For example, Monica sat beside Chandler for lunch.
Specification	The word ‘by’ is considered vague, meaning it is more uncertain or indefinite.	Besides is considered more specific and does not contain any vagueness.

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When to Use By?

‘By’ can specify a time, place, or a doer of an event. The word ‘by’ can be used as a preposition, noun, adverb, adjective, and interjection in English. The word ‘by’ refers to recognizing the doer performing an event.

General rules to follow when to use the word ‘by’:

• The term ‘by’ can be used with a phrase in a passive sentence to indicate if someone has done the action.

For example, the state’s chief minister inaugurated a new shopping mall in my locality.

• The by+-ing form is used in a sentence to describe how to do a particular action.

For example: By powering the generator you can switch on the lights.

• By can be used to talk about when an event is happening.

For example, The burglar broke into the house by jumping over the fence.

• ‘By’ can be used to talk about authors of books, poems, etc.

For example: What’s the name of the new book written by William Shakespeare?

•  ‘By’ can often be used to talk about quantitative measures or numbers:

For example, The price of gold has gone up by 15%.

• The word ‘by’ can be used in a sentence to denote when the doer of an action travels from one place to another.

For example, They traveled 5000 miles by plane to meet us.

• ‘By’ can be used after the adjectives:

For example, I was inspired by the speech delivered by the Mayor.

• The word ‘by’ can be used to talk about yourself or someone doing an action alone.

For example, I went to the market myself and purchased groceries.

 

When to Use Besides?

The word ‘beside’ can be used as a preposition and an adverb. The word ‘beside’ can be used to denote only a place or a location. The word ‘beside’ typically means the side of something or someone.

General rules to follow when to use the word ‘beside’:

• The word ‘beside the point’ can be used as a phrase in a sentence.

For example, The talk show host was talking about a topic that was entirely beside the point.

• The word ‘beside oneself’ can be used in a state of excitement.

For example, Shreya was beside herself with excitement.

• The word ‘beside’ can be used as ‘at the side of’ in a sentence:

For example, I keep my diary beside my bed.

• The word ‘beside’ can be used to denote someone or something nearby:

For example, Moses walked out of Egypt and across the red sea with the Israelites, who walked beside him.

• The word beside can be used ‘in comparison with’ to an individual or thing in a sentence.

For example, Rahim earned his place beside the top 2 contestants in the fashion show.

• The word ‘beside’ can be used to indicate the location:

For example, there is a mini-fridge beside my bed.

• The word ‘beside’ can indicate something next to or close to a particular person or thing.

For example Juliet sat down beside Romeo.

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Main Differences Between By and beside

1. The word ‘by’ can be used in relevance to time or a place and also denotes an individual doing an action. For example, They have a villa by the airport. The word ‘beside’ can be used in connection to only a place and denotes something or somebody ‘in comparison to’ in a sentence. For example, Martha kept her chocolate right beside mine.
2. By are often treated as a preposition, adverb, noun, adjective, and interjection. ‘beside’ can be treated as only a preposition and an adverb.
3. ‘By’ can be used in most daily conversations since it is an informal preposition. For example, I went to a wedding in Hawaii by plane. The word ‘beside’ is formal and cannot be used in daily conversations. For example, there is a shopping mall beside the park.
4. The word ‘by’ as a preposition refers to next to a specific action or event. For example, Akmed cleans the bathroom by himself. The word ‘beside’ as a preposition refers to a word adjacent to a specific person or thing. For example, The woman beside her was wearing a red dress.
5. The word ‘by’ is not specific and is vague or indefinite when utilized in a sentence. The word ‘beside’ is not vague and is more specific when used in a sentence.

References

1. https://www.crownacademyenglish.com/preposition-by-meaning-use/
2. https://sentence.yourdictionary.com/beside
3. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beside