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Anonymous Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Can I replace "in" with "by" in this sentence?

One of the meaning of "by" is to show how something is done, so can I use by in the sentence below?

A butterfly is caught "in" spider web.
? A butterfly is caught "by" spider web.
  

Top answer

I prefer "in", because "by" suggests the net was active/moving in some way. "

— Anonymous

  • I prefer "in", because "by" suggests the net was active/moving in some way.
  • "
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1 Answers
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I prefer "in", because "by" suggests the net was active/moving in some way. I could use either here, though:

"The fish was caught in/by the net."
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