Replaced with/by

Posted by Henry on April 15, 2003

In Reply to: Replaced with/by posted by Fred on April 15, 2003

: Are there any correct uses of `replaced x by y'?

Tricky things these replacements and substitutes, as football managers know all too well!

If you remove A and put in B, it seems perfectly correct to say - I replaced A by/with B.

Substitute is trickier. Under substitute v.t. my 1976 edition of the Concise Oxford Dictionary says - Make (person or thing) fill a place or discharge a function for or for (in italics) another; (vulg.) replace (person or thing) by (in italics)or with (in italics) another.

That's not totally clear to me! I think it approves of - I substituted B for A - but not - I substituted A by/with B.

• Replaced with/by R. Berg 04/16/03