Using prepositions “by” and “with”.
Can anyone tell me why “by” and not “with” was used in the following?
“In the course of his narrative he refreshes himself by a draught from the drinking-horn into which meanwhile Hagen has pressed the juice of an herb.”
“or succeedeth in smuggling in a drink, or after much importuning, the janitor is induced to cool the coppers by a draught from the spigot that sizzes and adds to the thirst that is not quenched;”
“With these preliminary remarks, and after wetting his whistle by a draught from a small pocket flask, he made the echoes of Kenmuir ring with the following, which he sung to the old Gaelic air, ‘I am asleep, do not waken me:’-”
Submit Your Comment
©2024 CYCLE Interactive, LLC.
All Rights Reserved.
To me, the passive example (the second one) sounds more correct than the active ones.
That is, I'd say "I refreshed myself with a lemonade" and "I wet my whistle with a lemonade"; but "I was refreshed by a lemonade."
I wonder if the "by" is idiomatic in the UK but not in the US (I'm in the US).
mara1 Jul-14-2005
0 vote Permalink Report Abuse
mara
Thanks for the reply.
I imagine it is archaic usage and maybe Scottish English at that.
Here's an example from Arthur Conan Doyle.
"As he journeyed he bit into a crust which remained from his Beaulieu bread, and he washed it down by a draught from a woodland stream."
From, The White Company, by Arthur Conan Doyle.
M561 Jul-14-2005
0 vote Permalink Report Abuse
Yeah, I think it's just old-timey usage.
Matt2 Jul-14-2005
0 vote Permalink Report Abuse