Buy vs By vs Bye at a glance
- buy
/baɪ/ · verb
To get something by paying money for it.
- I need to buy some milk.
- We're saving up to buy a house.
- by
/baɪ/ · preposition
Near, through, or showing who did something or how.
- The book was written by a teenager.
- I usually go to work by bus.
- bye
/baɪ/ · exclamation
An informal way to say goodbye.
- Bye! See you tomorrow.
- She said bye and hung up.
How to remember it
Bye is short for goodbye, so it keeps the e. Buy has a u, like you: you buy things. By, the shortest, does the small grammar jobs.
Good to know
By also means "not later than": by Monday.
Common mistakes
Wrong: I want to by a new laptop.
Right: I want to buy a new laptop.
Wrong: Please finish this buy Monday.
Right: Please finish this by Monday.
Wrong: OK, by for now!
Right: OK, bye for now!
Quick quiz
1.Where did you that jacket?
2.This photo was taken my dad.
3.Say to Grandma!
Pick the right word for each gap.