Sometimes both "using" and "by using" seem to have the same meaning. Am I wrong? For example, compare the sentences below:
- "On-screen keyboards allow people with mobility impairments to type data using a joystick or a pointing device."
- "On-screen keyboards allow people with mobility impairments to type data by using a joystick or a pointing device."
Both sentences use "using" for the same purpose, don't they? And their meanings are the same, aren't they?
Best Answer
Although it sounds correct and could pass without a glance, if you examine the logic of the sentences, they mean something slightly different.
The first sentence states that people with mobility impairments use the joystick and pointing device in order to operate the on-screen keyboard.
The second sentence states that the on-screen keyboard is the one that uses the joystick or pointing device to allow impaired people to type data.
The difference: In one of them, the people use the joystick in order to control the machine. In the other, the machine uses a joystick so that people can control it. Both of them are true in this case, but they aren't the same.