Answers and an explanation for each question appear once you add this activity to your own library.

Grammar & Vocabulary Guide

By Hand, By Machine, With a Spoon

Topic: Salt, from the sea to the table • Estimated time: 12 minutes

🧂 🥄

💡

How to use this lesson

👩‍🏫 For Teachers:

Use this 12-minute grammar guide for classroom teaching or quick practice. Check the answers together after learners finish all 12 items.

🧑‍🎓 For Learners:

Read the 4 grammar rules carefully and check the example sentences. Then complete the 12 practice questions to test your progress.

Grammar Rules: How We Do Things

Rule 1: by + way (no a, an, or the)

by hand / by machine

Use by when you talk about the general way of moving or making something. Do not add a, an, or the.

✅ Side-by-side comparison: Say by hand or by truck.

⚠️ Avoid mistake: Never say by the hand or by a truck.

Salt Topic Examples:

• People send the salt away by ship.

• Workers move the big salt sacks by truck.

Rule 2: with + tool (needs a, an, or the)

with a hammer / with the knife

Use with when you talk about a tool or object you hold. Always put a, an, or the before the tool.

✅ Side-by-side comparison: Say with a hammer or with the knife.

⚠️ Avoid mistake: Never say with hammer (it needs a or the).

Salt Topic Examples:

• Workers break the lumps of salt with a big hammer.

• She crushes the hard salt crystals with a heavy stone.

Rule 3: Questions with How and What... with?

How? / What... with?

Ask How to find out the way something is done. Ask What... with to find out the tool someone uses.

✅ Way question: How is it made? By hand.

✅ Tool question: What do you cut it with? With a knife.

Salt Topic Examples:

• How is the salt collected? By hand.

• What do you scoop the salt with? With a ladle.

Rule 4: by hand vs with my hands

by hand / with my hands

Say by hand for the general way of doing work. Say with my hands or with her hands when you name the owner of the hands.

✅ Side-by-side comparison: Say by hand OR with my hands.

⚠️ Avoid mistake: Never say by my hand or with hand.

Salt Topic Examples:

• Some people mix the salt batch by hand.

• I rub the salt on the meat with my hands.

Practice Exercises

Complete all 12 items below to test your understanding.

Part 1 Choose the correct sentence

Question 1 (way)

Pick the correct sentence:

____ a. They clean the salt by a machine. ____ b. They clean the salt by machine. ____ c. They clean the salt with machine.

Question 2 (tool)

Pick the correct sentence:

____ a. She sprinkles salt with a shaker. ____ b. She sprinkles salt with shaker. ____ c. She sprinkles salt by a shaker.

Question 3 (tool)

Pick the correct question and answer:

____ a. How do you scrape the salt? With a blade. ____ b. What do you scrape the salt with? With a blade. ____ c. What do you scrape the salt by? By a blade.

Part 2 Rewrite the sentence

📌 Pattern Example: "They carry the boxes on a train." → They carry the boxes by train.

Question 4 (way)

Original: Ben carries the salt on a truck.

Rewrite the sentence with by:

____ (Type your sentence here...)

Question 5 (tool)

Original: Anna smooths the salt heap using a board.

Rewrite the sentence with with:

____ (Type your sentence here...)

Question 6 (owner)

Original: The chef mixes the salt into the dough using his hands.

Rewrite the sentence with with:

____ (Type your sentence here...)

Part 3 Fill the gaps

Question 7 (end)

What do you filter the sea salt _______? With a sieve.

____ a. by ____ b. with ____ c. in

Question 8 (way)

We pack the sea salt into wooden barrels _______ hand.

____ a. by ____ b. with ____ c. with a

Question 9 (question)

What do you move the salt crate _______? We move it _______ forklift.

____ a. with... by ____ b. by... with a ____ c. with... by a

Part 4 Error correction in messages

Question 10 (tool)

Message from a friend:

💬 "Hi Dan! We crushed the salt by a rolling pin."

Rewrite the message with the correct grammar:

____ (Type the corrected message...)

Question 11 (owner)

Message from a friend:

💬 "Please scoop the salt into the basin by my hands."

Rewrite the message with the correct grammar:

____ (Type the corrected message...)

Question 12 (way)

Message from a friend:

💬 "Did you move the crate with ship?"

Rewrite the message with the correct grammar:

____ (Type the corrected message...)

By Hand, By Machine, With a Spoon

By Hand, By Machine, With a Spoon

How to use this lesson

Grammar Rules: How We Do Things

Rule 1: by + way (no a, an, or the)

Rule 2: with + tool (needs a, an, or the)

Rule 3: Questions with How and What... with?

Rule 4: by hand vs with my hands

Practice Exercises

Part 1 Choose the correct sentence

Part 2 Rewrite the sentence

Part 3 Fill the gaps

Part 4 Error correction in messages

Related lessons

Reading: Salt from Sea to Table

IELTS Speaking Part 1: Salt and Daily Life

Vocabulary: Salt from sea to table

Writing: Salt from the Sea

Past Simple: Regular and Irregular Verbs

Must, Mustn't and Have To