Is it okay to use the phrase “by word of mouth” like this:
The restaurant is very popular by word of mouth.
Does it sound weird?
Thank you!!!
It sounds a bit weird.
Better: The restaurant is very popular, it became popular by word of mouth.
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It is okay to say: The restaurant is very popular by word of mouth.
These (below) are also okay, and would be used more frequently than the above by native speakers of standard American English.
The restaurant has become very popular by word of mouth.
The restaurant is very popular because of word of mouth.
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It does sound weird. ‘By word of mouth’ refers to the process by which the restaurant became popular, for which a simple present tense of the verb ‘to be’ sounds wrong. We would normally use a past tense form of some sort of verb relating to a change of state, or process of becoming.
Compare: He got strong by lifting weights.
He is strong by lifting weights.
The second of those is definitely wrong, to my ears, whereas the first sounds perfectly normal.
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“Word of mouth” refers to news and information being spread from person to person. One person telling other people telling other people. Theoretically, if one person tells two people and those two people each tell two more people and so on, news can spread very quickly.
The restaurant’s reputation for serving great food has spread by word of mouth and it has now become a very popular place to eat.
the information: the restaurant has a reputation for serving great food
the process: word of mouth
the result: the restaurant has gained popularity; has grown in popularity; has become very popular; has gotten very popular
It sounds a bit clumsy to say, “The restaurant is very popular by word of mouth.”
I would probably say something like: The restaurant got popular by word of mouth alone.
(Word of mouth alone, rather than paid advertising, is what caused the restaurant to be popular.)
And to use WinterShaker’s example as a comparison: Lifting weights is what caused him to be strong, so he got strong by lifting weights.
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Very well explained, brucenator!
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