With vs. By

[shahin_67]

Hi Veterans,

I just wondered what would be the discrepancy between sentences like these, "captivated by", "captivated with", "fascinated with" or "fascinated by". So I browsed the net and stumbled upon a yahoo answer post. It exemplifies fascinated. It claims for things fitted in palm or held or manipulated like a Rubik's cube, a WITH would follow fascinated else a BY would be replaced. May I generalize the concept to captivated or tempted? "If fitted in palm or held WITH otherwise BY" Is the quote alright?

thanks in advance,

[SoothingDave]

I don't believe that's an actual rule. "With" and "by"are pretty much interchangeable in this use. I can be fascinated with elephants, even though I can't hold them in my palm.