Could you tell me the difference between "covered by mud" and "covered in mud"?

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Great question. The meanings are very similar, and the two prepositions could be used almost interchangeably, but there are some subtle differences. When we refer to something that sticks to another, in this case "mud", we use "in" and not "by". This is because "covered by" means that the covering is actually hiding the thing it has covered. "Covered in" means the thing, the mud, is widely distributed over the object, Peppa, and doesn't mean that every single part is covered. Ex: The field was covered by a blanket of snow. Ex: The ribs are covered in sauce.

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Popular Q&As

04/20

1
What does “primed for something” mean?
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2
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5
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