Use of by

Question

1. We rented the car by the day.
2. They're paid by the hour.
3. We only sell it by the metre.
What is the meaning of these sentences ? Does it mean that we rented the car for the day or does it mean that we paid the rent for a day at a time ?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Debpriya DeDoes it mean that we rented the car for the day or does it mean that we paid the rent for a day at a time ?

Neither. You may have rented the car for five days, for example, and you may have paid for all five days in one payment.

All of these "by" phrases tell us the method by which a total sum of money will be computed.

If I am paid by the hour, and the hourly rate is $20, and I work 5 hours, my pay will be computed thus: $20 x 5 = $100.
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Renting "by the day" usually means you pay a certain amount for each day or part of a day. If you use the rented item for 36 hours, that's 2 days you have to pay for. They're not going to count it as 1 1/2 days.

Selling "by the metre" works the same. Even if you only want 2 1/2 metres, you'll end up paying for 3 metres.

Pay "by the hour" is normally prorated, however, so if you make $20 an hour, you will almost certainly be paid $30 for 1 1/2 hours of work.

CJ

Fandorin · Answer

It means we were paying for a car on a daily basis. P.S. And they rounded up payments.

Debpriya De · Answer

Thanks for help, I understand it now.

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