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Prepositions after verbs

Captivate with or by?

Captivate is often used in passive structures with by. With can introduce the means or quality causing interest.

Quick answer

Common uses of captivate

People are usually captivated by something. Captivate with can describe the quality or method that creates interest. For, from, and in are not standard fixed combinations after captivate.

The audience was captivated by her voice.
The film captivated with stunning visuals.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
captivated by + thing/person

What creates fascination

By introduces the source of fascination.

Children were captivated by the magician.
2
captivate with + quality

Means of attraction

With introduces the feature that attracts attention.

The speaker captivated with humour and warmth.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
captivated by
We were captivated by the story.
fascinated because of something
captivate with
The artist captivated audiences with colour.
using a quality or method
captivate for
nonstandard after captivate
not an idiomatic combination
captivate from
nonstandard after captivate
not an idiomatic combination
captivate in
captivated in the moment
in may introduce a separate phrase, not a fixed pattern

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using for after captivate

For is not normally selected by captivate.

✕ The show captivated for its music. ✓ The show captivated audiences with its music.

Confusing by and with

By names the source of fascination. With names the quality used.

✕ We were captivated with the actor. ✓ We were captivated by the actor.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The crowd was captivated ___ the performance.
2. She captivated listeners ___ her storytelling.
3. Choose the standard phrase.

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Frequently asked questions

Is captivated by the most common pattern?

Yes. It is the standard passive structure.

Can I use captivate with?

Yes, especially to describe the quality that attracts people.

Is captivate in correct?

Only when in starts a separate phrase such as place or time information.

calculate, by, calculate, in, calculate, from "call for" or "call on"? "campaign for" or "campaign against"? cancel by, due, at, in or for? capitulate to, in, like, by or after? "capture by" or "capture in"? "care about" or "care for"? carry with, by, in, to or into? carve into, out, in, on or with? cast in, into, for, by or on? "catch in", "catch by" or "catch on"? categorize into, by, as, in or under?

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