Common English phrases with the preposition BY
by chance
by all means
by force
by mistake
by myself / yourself, etc
by far
by the time
by now
by heart
by post/hand
by sight
Examples:
By chance a bus was coming just as I reached the bus stop.
“May I close the window?” – “Yes, by all means.”
The climate change protestors were removed by force from the building.
I took the wrong road by mistake and got totally lost.
Although Vicky lives by herself she’s not lonely.
You’ll have to go to the party by yourself. I can’t go.
It’s the best hotel we’ve stayed in by far.
Kelly knows all Adele’s songs by heart.
By the time we got to the station, the train had already left.
You really should know your irregular verbs by now.
Rebecca delivered her job application by hand as she would have missed the deadline if she had sent it by post.
I know Jake but only by sight; I’ve never spoken to him.