With
With is a preposition.
With meaning ‘in the same place as’
With means ‘in the same place as someone or something’ or ‘accompanying’:
She arrived with her boyfriend.
I don’t like tea with milk.
There was a free phone with the car.
With: reactions and feelings
With often follows adjectives which refer to reactions and feelings:
Are you happy with your music lessons?
The teacher got angry with them because they were behaving badly.
I’m delighted with this new jacket.
With meaning ‘using’
We use with to refer to what we use to do something:
They opened the package with a knife.
I’ll tie it with some tape to keep it closed.
He cleaned the table with a cloth he found in the kitchen.
With meaning ‘having’
We use with to mean ‘having’ or ‘possessing’:
It’s the house with the really big gates.
She woke with terrible toothache.
The Commonwealth Institute used to be a building with a very unusual roof in Kensington.
With meaning ‘because of’
We use with to mean ‘because of’ or ‘as a result of’. This is especially common in speaking:
With all this work, I’d better stay in tonight.
I couldn’t sleep with the noise of the traffic.
With: other uses
With is used with the following words:
She made contact with Marina after ten years.
Not:
She made contact Marina after ten years. orShe made contact to Marina after ten years.
He always helped Xavier with the cooking.
Not:
He always helped Xavier the cooking. orHe always helped Xavier by the cooking.
The company provide us with a car and a uniform.
Not:
The company provide us a car and a uniform.
My parents were strict with me when I was a child.
Not:
My parents were strict to me when I was a child.
They agree/disagree with bullfighting. (They approve/disapprove of it)
Not:
They agree/disagree to bullfighting.
She’s really good with computers.
Not:
She’s really good in computers.
Communicating with new customers is important in my job.
Not:
Communicating to new customers is important in my job.
We had some difficulties with the production of the manual.
Not:
We had some difficulties to produce the manual.
With often follows adjectives to describe feelings:
I was disappointed with the food.
Not:
I was disappointed the food.
I’m so bored with this small town.
Not:
I’m so bored about this small town.
But note that with is not used with married:
Brian is married to Helen, isn’t he?
Not:
Brian is married with Helen, isn’t he?
(“With” dans English Grammar Today © Cambridge University Press.)
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- Adjectives and adverbs
-
Easily confused words
- Above or over?
- Across, over or through?
- Advice or advise?
- Affect or effect?
- All or every?
- All or whole?
- Allow, permit or let?
- Almost or nearly?
- Alone, lonely, or lonesome?
- Along or alongside?
- Already, still or yet?
- Also, as well or too?
- Alternate(ly), alternative(ly)
- Although or though?
- Altogether or all together?
- Amount of, number of or quantity of?
- Any more or anymore?
- Anyone, anybody or anything?
- Apart from or except for?
- Arise or rise?
- Around or round?
- Arouse or rouse?
- As or like?
- As, because or since?
- As, when or while?
- Been or gone?
- Begin or start?
- Beside or besides?
- Between or among?
- Born or borne?
- Bring, take and fetch
- Can, could or may?
- Classic or classical?
- Come or go?
- Consider or regard?
- Consist, comprise or compose?
- Content or contents?
- Different from, different to or different than?
- Do or make?
- Down, downwards or downward?
- During or for?
- Each or every?
- East or eastern; north or northern?
- Economic or economical?
- Efficient or effective?
- Elder, eldest or older, oldest?
- End or finish?
- Especially or specially?
- Every one or everyone?
- Except or except for?
- Expect, hope or wait?
- Experience or experiment?
- Fall or fall down?
- Far or a long way?
- Farther, farthest or further, furthest?
- Fast, quick or quickly?
- Fell or felt?
- Female or feminine; male or masculine?
- Finally, at last, lastly or in the end?
- First, firstly or at first?
- Fit or suit?
- Following or the following?
- For or since?
- Forget or leave?
- Full or filled?
- Fun or funny?
- Get or go?
- Grateful or thankful?
- Hear or listen (to)?
- High or tall?
- Historic or historical?
- House or home?
- How is …? or What is … like?
- If or when?
- If or whether?
- Ill or sick?
- Imply or infer?
- In the way or on the way?
- It’s or its?
- Late or lately?
- Lay or lie?
- Lend or borrow?
- Less or fewer?
- Look at, see or watch?
- Low or short?
- Man, mankind or people?
- Maybe or may be?
- Maybe or perhaps?
- Nearest or next?
- Never or not … ever?
- Nice or sympathetic?
- No doubt or without doubt?
- No or not?
- Nowadays, these days or today?
- Open or opened?
- Opportunity or possibility?
- Opposite or in front of?
- Other, others, the other or another?
- Out or out of?
- Permit or permission?
- Person, persons or people?
- Pick or pick up?
- Play or game?
- Politics, political, politician or policy?
- Price or prize?
- Principal or principle?
- Quiet or quite?
- Raise or rise?
- Remember or remind?
- Right or rightly?
- Rob or steal?
- Say or tell?
- So that or in order that?
- Sometimes or sometime?
- Sound or noise?
- Speak or talk?
- Such or so?
- There, their or they’re?
- Towards or toward?
- Wait or wait for?
- Wake, wake up or awaken?
- Worth or worthwhile?
- Nouns, pronouns and determiners
-
Prepositions and particles
- Above
- After
- Against
- Among and amongst
- At
- At, in and to (movement)
- At, on and in (place)
- At, on and in (time)
- Below
- Beneath: meaning and use
- Beyond
- By + myself etc.
- During
- For
- For + -ing
- From
- In front of
- In spite of and despite
- In, into
- Near and near to
- Of
- On, onto
- Over
- Prepositional phrases
- Prepositions
- To
- Under
- Until
- With
- Within
- Without
- Words, sentences and clauses
- Using English
- Verbs
Mot du jour
warm-hearted
kind and loving