By+verb+ing

Question

good evening it is ajay . i have sentence and i have confusion in it1. "he erases all marks by rubbing" confusion is that what action is performed first "rub or erase "

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

Hi ajay.
Just say "He erases (erased? is erasing?) all the marks."

You erase by erasing.

Anonymous · Answer

It's clear the sentence implies that the doer did erase the marks by rubbing them ... so her "erase" is a result of rubbing the marks " the first action that's performed first is rubbing the marks ...

CalifJim · Answer

ajay_dep721what action is performed first "rub or erase "

They both happen at almost the same time, though the rubbing is somewhat prior, being the cause of the erasure. The rubbing of the eraser over the marks causes the marks to go away -- causes them to be erased. The more you rub, the more is erased.

by + verb + ing shows a causal relationship. The by phrase tells how something is done.

Compare:

The man reached the roof.
How did he reach the roof?
He reached the roof by climbing a ladder.

The student learned English.
How did the student learn English?
He learned English by reading a lot of English newspapers and magazines.

The carpenter drove the nails into the wood.
How did he drive the nails into the wood?
He drove the nails into the wood by pounding them with a hammer.

CJ

By+verb+ing

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It's clear the sentence implies that the doer did erase the marks by rubbing them ... so her "erase" is a result of rubbing the marks " the first action that's performed first is rubbing the marks ...

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