TOEIC Part 5 Anchor Drill

By vs With: Deadline, Route, Doer, Tool, or Extra Item?

Both answers are short and familiar, so they are easy to choose too quickly. The fast decision comes from checking the word or phrase after the blank. Is it showing a deadline, route or doer, or a tool, added item or person together?

Deadline, route or doer = by
Tool, extra item or together = with

Choose by

Choose by when the sentence shows the final time, the way something travels or is sent, or the person, team or company responsible for the action.

Choose with

Choose with when the sentence shows a tool, an included item or detail, or another person who is together with someone.

How to find the anchor

Look directly after the blank. The next word or phrase usually reveals the business picture. Do not translate the whole sentence first. Decide what the anchor is showing, choose, and move on.

By signals: Friday, 5 p.m., the deadline, email, phone, courier, train, the finance team.

With signals: a scanner, a card, the receipt, an attachment, updated figures, a colleague, the sales manager.

All applications must be submitted ___ Friday.

Answer: by

Friday is the anchor. It shows the final time for submission, so by fits.

Please return the form ___ a copy of your ID.

Answer: with

A copy of your ID is the anchor. It is an extra item that must go together with the form, so with fits.

Important: Do not reduce the choice to “person = by” and “thing = with”. By also shows deadlines and routes, while with can show a person accompanying someone.

Check the exact word or phrase after the blank. Deadline, route or doer means by. Tool, extra item or together means with. Find the anchor, choose, and move on.

Start the Anchor Drill

After the drill

What your result reveals

Your score shows whether you checked the exact word or phrase connected to the blank and recognised a deadline, route or doer, or a tool, extra item or person together. Use the Review to locate the anchor before choosing between by and with.

If by caused problems

Review sentences showing the final time, the route or method, or the person, team or company responsible. Look for anchors such as Friday, 5 p.m., email, courier, the manager and the finance team.

If with caused problems

Review sentences showing a tool, an included item or detail, or another person together. Look for anchors such as a scanner, the receipt, an attachment, updated figures and a colleague.

If false anchors or timing caused problems

You may be translating the whole sentence or using the weak shortcut “person = by, thing = with”. Check the exact business picture: deadline, route, doer, tool, extra item or together.

Use the Review in this order: check the correct answer, locate the exact anchor, read why that anchor matters, then compare the reusable pattern. Do not decide from general meaning alone. The word or phrase connected directly to the blank controls the decision.

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