student asking question

Is "by" here really necessary in this sentence?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"By" is necessary in this sentence because it is a part of the formal phrase "pass by". Although sentences don't always end with prepositions, it sounds better to end the sentence with "by" here since "by" is a part of the phrase "pass by". You could say "a long motorboat passed", however, it would sound much more formal and unnatural.

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