By vs. With Worksheets

About This Worksheet Collection

The By vs. With worksheet collection helps students master the important distinction between agents and instruments-two roles that shape meaning in both everyday sentences and academic writing. Through fill-ins, narrative comparisons, passive-voice analysis, editing tasks, and creative sentence building, learners gain repeated exposure to how these prepositions function in context. The worksheets offer clear, varied practice that supports strong language development across multiple genres and writing styles.

Throughout the collection, students refine their ability to interpret sentence structure, identify who performed an action, and recognize what tool or method was used. They practice rewriting sentences, evaluating meaning shifts, correcting errors, and composing original examples. These activities build precision in grammar, support careful reading, and strengthen students' confidence as they apply prepositional rules to both narrative and informational texts.

Detailed Descriptions Of These Worksheets

Tool Time
Students complete sentences by choosing the correct preposition, deciding whether the blank refers to an agent or an instrument. The examples draw on familiar activities like cooking and crafting, helping learners visualize meaning. This reinforces the functional difference between by and with in clear, accessible contexts. It supports accuracy in passive-style constructions.

The Bluebird Painting
Learners read two short stories-one correct and one incorrect-and determine which version uses the prepositions logically. They explain their reasoning to show understanding of agents versus instruments. This activity strengthens analytical reading and highlights how subtle grammar errors affect meaning. It encourages thoughtful justification in writing.

Who Did It?
Students rewrite sentences using by to show who performed each action, converting simple notes into complete passive-voice statements. The activity reinforces clarity in agency and strengthens sentence construction skills. It helps learners understand how by identifies responsibility within a sentence. The exercise promotes precision in grammar and syntax.

Fix-It Tools
Students choose the correct preposition in a variety of real-world contexts, distinguishing between who performed an action and what tool was used. This focused practice builds confidence with everyday grammar decisions. Learners improve accuracy while reinforcing the conceptual difference between agents and instruments. It supports strong sentence-level reasoning.

Hidden Agents
Learners analyze passive voice sentences and label each prepositional phrase as identifying an agent or an instrument. This classification task deepens understanding of sentence roles and structure. Students develop parsing skills that strengthen overall grammar comprehension. It reinforces how prepositions signal different functions in passive constructions.

Action Switch
Students select verbs and write two contrasting sentences for each-one showing agency with by and one showing instrumentality with with. This encourages creative thinking and strengthens understanding of how meaning changes with preposition choice. The activity builds precision and contrast in writing. It supports flexible, confident grammar use.

Cause-Effect, Two Ways
Learners examine sentence pairs where switching by and with alters the cause or effect, then explain the change in meaning. This activity builds higher-level thinking about language and encourages attention to nuance. Students practice articulating subtle grammatical effects. It enhances interpretation of sentence relationships.

Formal Report Fillers
Students choose between by and with in sentences drawn from technical, scientific, and academic contexts. This helps learners develop precision needed for STEM and formal writing. The activity reinforces accurate grammar decisions in professional-style text. It supports growth in technical reading comprehension.

Changing Versions
Students write two versions of given sentence ideas-one using by and one using with-and analyze the resulting meaning differences. This allows learners to explore how prepositions shift interpretation and tone. It strengthens contrastive writing and metacognitive explanation. The worksheet deepens mastery of prepositional nuance.

Editorial Fix-Up
Learners revise a short editorial where by and with are used incorrectly or ambiguously. They rewrite the paragraph for clarity and underline each correction. This task blends real-world writing with focused grammar practice. It improves editing skills and helps students identify vague or confusing language.

Precision in Prose
Students write a detailed paragraph on a chosen topic while correctly incorporating by and with to show agency and instruments. They underline each instance to reinforce awareness of meaning. This activity supports narrative and expository writing skills. It helps learners craft polished, precise paragraphs.

By and With Fix-Up
Students correct ten sentences where the prepositions are misused, producing clear and logical revisions. This focused editing practice strengthens understanding of agent versus instrument. Learners improve accuracy and proofreading skills. The worksheet builds confidence through repeated, targeted correction.