Writing Tips
http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Institutional Links
-
Translation Bureau
Language Portal of Canada
-
TERMIUM Plus®
-
Index B
- back up
- backup
- bad (1)
- bad (2)
- badly
- bandwagon
- based on
- Batavo-
- B (billion)
- B.C.
- BC (1)
- BC (2)
- BCE
- be-
- be advised that
- bear a resemblance to
- beaver fever
- beaver-fever
- because of
- because of the fact that
- Before Christ
- Before the Christian Era
- Before the Common Era
- begin
- begin at
- begin by
- begin from
- begin on
- begin to do
- begin with
- beg off
- beg the question
- behaviour
- behavioural
- behaviourism
- Belgo-
- below
- beneath
- benefit by
- benefit from
- benefits of
- benefits to
- be of the opinion that
- Beothuk
- be prohibited from
- beside
- besides
- beyond a shadow of a doubt
- beyond the realm of possibility
- bi-
- biannual (1)
- biannual (2)
- bias
- biblio-
- bibliographies: arrangement
- bibliographies: articles
- bibliographies: author’s name
- bibliographies: book
- bibliographies: edition
- bibliographies: finding the information for an entry
- bibliographies: general
- bibliographies: order of precedence
- bibliographies: publishing information
- bibliographies: romanization
- bibliographies: secondary responsibility
- bibliographies: secondary source citations
- bibliographies: sources other than books and articles
- bibliographies: titles
- bibliographies: translation
- bibliographies: types of bibliography
- bibliographies: works in a series
- biceps
- biennial
- billion
- bimonthly
- birthday
- biweekly
- black-and-white thinking
- bloc
- block
- book off
- born
- borne
- Bosnian-Croatian
- both … and
- boy
- braces
- breach
- bread-and-butter
- breakthrough
- breech
- bridgeable
- bring
- bring a charge against
- bring into question
- bring into the open
- bring pressure to bear on
- bring to a close
- bring to a conclusion
- bring to an end
- bring to completion
- British Columbia
- British Columbian
- broach
- broad
- brooch
- Bulgaro-
- Bungee
- Bungi
- business letters: attention line
- business letters: block style
- business letters: body of the letter
- business letters: carbon copy notation
- business letters: complimentary close
- business letters: consistency
- business letters: date
- business letters: delivery (mailing) notation
- business letters: enclosure notation
- business letters: indent style
- business letters: inside address
- business letters: length
- business letters: letterhead
- business letters: margins
- business letters: model letter
- business letters: name of person; title; name of organization
- business letters: postscript
- business letters: reference initials
- business letters: reference line
- business letters: salutation
- business letters: signature
- business letters: spacing
- business letters: subject line
- by (1)
- by (2)
- by (a specified time)
- by foot
- by means of
- by reason of the fact that
- by virtue of
- by virtue of the fact that
Proactive Disclosure
Important notice
Writing Tips has been archived and won’t be updated before it is permanently deleted.
For the most up-to-date content, please consult Writing Tips Plus, which combines content from Writing Tips and The Canadian Style. And don’t forget to update your bookmarks!
Search and Functionalities Area
by, near
In expressions of time, by means "not later than" or "at or before a specified time."
- I want those essays by June 25. You will have until midnight of that day to turn them in.
In expressions of place, by means "near" or "passing through."
- He left his car by the old house and continued on foot.
- The road between Toronto and Ottawa is longer if you go by Montréal.
In passive constructions, by can also refer to the author of an action or to the means used for an action.
- This book was not written by Margaret Atwood.
- During their year-long trip through South America, they travelled great distances by bus and by train as well as on foot.
Be careful: these varied uses occasionally produce unintentional humour or confusion.
- Ambiguous: The murder weapon was found by the dead man.
- Clear: The murder weapon was found near the dead man.
© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2024
TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
Writing tools – Writing Tips
A product of the Translation Bureau
