Problem Words — With

Similar to since, with can be ambiguous. A common cause is when with can mean either having or using.

With may be used legitimately when used to mean:

  1. With, meaning in the company of.

Mouse peritoneal macrophages accumulate large amounts of cholesteryl ester when incubated with human low-density lipoprotein.

  1. With, meaning by means or agency of.

We constructed an integrated genetic linkage map using standard software with default settings.

  1. With, meaning having as an attribute.

We identified offspring mice with agouti coat color derived from the injected ES cells.

  1. With, meaning in specific verb combination.

Verbs that can be combined with with include:

  • supplemented with
  • compared with (see the section on transitions for a discussion on with versus to. XX Add link)
  • associated with
  • reacted with

We studied pre-implantation bovine embryos cultured in medium supplemented with either serum or PVA.

Exercises

  1. This sentence has two possible meanings – replace with to make the sentence unambiguous.
  • Carnivorous plants obtain additional mineral nutrients by trapping and digesting insect prey with specialized organs.

  1. There are many other ways in which we use with. Consider the following exercises. Replace with with a more precise word.

    1. Using with for addition
    • Even low doses of alcohol result in a 13% decrease in brain glucose metabolism with impairment in performance on cognitive tests.
    • Even low doses of alcohol result in a 13% decrease in brain glucose metabolism ………. impairment in performance on cognitive tests.
    1. Using with for time
    • With treatment with Lithium, the enzyme’s activity was inhibited.
    • ………. treatment with Lithium, the enzyme’s activity was inhibited.
    • ………. treatment with Lithium, the enzyme’s activity was inhibited.
    1. Using with for cause
    • The stem length of soya seedlings was increased with the presence of Rhizobia, nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria.
    • An increase in the stem length of soya seedlings was ………. by the presence of Rhizobia, nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria.
    1. Using with for supporting details
    • Growth rate was increased with a peak rate reached after 24 hours.
    • Growth rate was increased, ………. a peak rate after 24 hours.
    1. Using with for components
    • After injecting the subjects with blood with merosomes we harvested infected red blood cells.
    • After injecting the subjects with ………. blood we harvested infected red blood cells.