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Q&A What's the difference between "in doing so" and "by doing so"?

It depends on the context, but generally "in doing so" refers to something that happens along with or as part of the action, and "by doing so" refers to a result of the action. In many cases either...

posted 2y ago by gmcgath‭  ·  edited 2y ago by gmcgath‭

Answer
#3: Post edited by user avatar gmcgath‭ · 2022-06-06T10:20:26Z (almost 2 years ago)
  • It depends on the context, but generally "in doing so" refers to something that happens along with or as part of the action, and "by doing so" refers to a result of the action. In many cases either one works. Here are a couple of cases where one is preferable to the other:
  • - Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and *in doing so* sank several American ships."
  • It's part of the same action, so you wouldn't use "by doing do."
  • - Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and *by doing so* made bombing attacks on Japan inevitable.
  • It's a later consequence, so you wouldn't use "in doing so." This is less clear than the first example, though.
  • - Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and *in/by doing so* entered war with the US.
  • In this case you can view starting war either as an aspect or a consequence of the attack, so I think either one is appropriate.
  • It depends on the context, but generally "in doing so" refers to something that happens along with or as part of the action, and "by doing so" refers to a result of the action. In many cases either one works. Here are a couple of cases where one is preferable to the other:
  • - Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and *in doing so* sank several American ships."
  • It's part of the same action, so you wouldn't use "by doing so."
  • - Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and *by doing so* made bombing attacks on Japan inevitable.
  • It's a later consequence, so you wouldn't use "in doing so." This is less clear than the first example, though.
  • - Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and *in/by doing so* entered war with the US.
  • In this case you can view starting war either as an aspect or a consequence of the attack, so I think either one is appropriate.
#2: Post edited by user avatar fedorqui‭ · 2022-06-06T10:20:11Z (almost 2 years ago)
format each exemple sentence to make it easier to spot each one of them
  • It depends on the context, but generally "in doing so" refers to something that happens along with or as part of the action, and "by doing so" refers to a result of the action. In many cases either one works. Here are a couple of cases where one is preferable to the other:
  • "Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and in doing so sank several American ships." It's part of the same action, so you wouldn't use "by doing do."
  • "Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and by doing so made bombing attacks on Japan inevitable." It's a later consequence, so you wouldn't use "in doing so." This is less clear than the first example, though.
  • "Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and in/by doing so entered war with the US." In this case you can view starting war either as an aspect or a consequence of the attack, so I think either one is appropriate.
  • It depends on the context, but generally "in doing so" refers to something that happens along with or as part of the action, and "by doing so" refers to a result of the action. In many cases either one works. Here are a couple of cases where one is preferable to the other:
  • - Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and *in doing so* sank several American ships."
  • It's part of the same action, so you wouldn't use "by doing do."
  • - Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and *by doing so* made bombing attacks on Japan inevitable.
  • It's a later consequence, so you wouldn't use "in doing so." This is less clear than the first example, though.
  • - Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and *in/by doing so* entered war with the US.
  • In this case you can view starting war either as an aspect or a consequence of the attack, so I think either one is appropriate.
#1: Initial revision by user avatar gmcgath‭ · 2022-03-29T22:47:59Z (almost 2 years ago)
It depends on the context, but generally "in doing so" refers to something that happens along with or as part of the action, and "by doing so" refers to a result of the action. In many cases either one works. Here are a couple of cases where one is preferable to the other:

"Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and in doing so sank several American ships." It's part of the same action, so you wouldn't use "by doing do."

"Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and by doing so made bombing attacks on Japan inevitable." It's a later consequence, so you wouldn't use "in doing so." This is less clear than the first example, though.

"Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and in/by doing so entered war with the US." In this case you can view starting war either as an aspect or a consequence of the attack, so I think either one is appropriate.