What is "of"?
Of is the most common preposition in English. It usually makes a link of meaning between two nouns or noun phrases. We will call them N1 and N2.
Of has many different meanings. It often has a meaning similar to the possessive form ('s), also called the "genitive".*
1. Of often means "having", "owning", "possession"
Ex: N1 of N2 ↔ N2 has N1
- the owner of the car ↔ the car has an owner
- a friend of Sam ↔ Sam has a friend
Here of is an alternative form of possessive 's:
N1 of N2 ↔ N2's N1
Ex: the uniform of a student ↔ a student's uniform
2. Of is used to link a part to the whole in: [N1 of (part of) N2]
- the top of the hill
- the roof of the house
- the handle of a knife
- the end of the week
- the front page of a book
- some parts of- the world
- a piece of cloth
3. Of is used to link a member to its group in: [N1 of (member of) N2]
- a Member of Parliament
- the last month of the year
- the youngest of the four boys
4. Of in quantity words: [N1 of (amount of) N2]
- a lot of noise / noises
- a large number of students
- a pair of shoes
- a litre of coke
- hundreds of men
- two kilograms of pork
- all of the men
- a few of those nuts
- much of his advice
- some of the dust
- none of these animals
5. Of is used after group noun like crowd, group, bunch: [N1 of (group of) N2]
- a bunch of flowers
- a flock of sheep
- a gang of criminals
- a group of students
- a range of mountains
Here N2 describes members of the group.
6. Of in unit noun
Of follows nouns referring to containers or units of something: [N1 of (contains) N2].
- a bag of nails
- a bowl of rice
- a carton of milk
- a cup of tea
- a pot of coffee
7. The relation between N1 and N2 can be like the relation between verb and object
| verb | object | |
| N1 | of | N2 |
| ... studies | ... → | history |
- the studies of history
- the invention of television
- your kind offer of help
8. The relation between N1 and N2 can be like the relation between verb and subject
| verb | subject | |
| N1 | of | N2 |
| roars | ← ... | A lion |
- the roar of a lion
- a death of Diana*
- the growth of industry
9. The link between N1 and N2 can be like the link of the verb be
| N1 | of | N2 |
| exciting | ← is ← | The game |
- the excitement of the game
- the difficulty of learning English
- the weakness of the pound
In the following examples, N1 and N2 refer to the same person or thing:
| N1 | of | N2 |
| a city | ← is ← | London |
- the art of painting
- the city of London
- the job of being Prime Minister
- the problem of how to improve speaking skill
10. Of can link N1 to the quality expressed by N2
| N1 | of | N2 |
| woman | → has → | ability |
- a man of courage
- a woman of ability
- a building of great beauty
11. There're many other ways in which of can link two nouns
- a difference of age
- a game of football
- one of the nicest people
- the people of the ancient Greece
- a ring of pure gold
- the name of my cat
- the sound of voices
12. Forms of nouns which follow of
| N1 | of | N2 |
12.1. If N2 is a pronoun, it must usually be a possessive pronoun*
| N1 | of | N2 |
|---|---|---|
| a pen | of | mine* |
12.2. If N2 refers to a particular person, it is usually a possessive noun, that is, noun + 's
| N1 | of | N2 |
|---|---|---|
| a friend | of | Sam('s) |
| a film / movie | of | Angelina Jolie('s)* |
| a guest | of | his mother('s) |
12.3. If N2 refers to an unspecified person - or is not a person - it cannot be a possessive noun, that is, it cannot have 's
| N1 | of | N2 |
|---|---|---|
| the owner | of | a Lamborghini |
| the king | of | Thailand |
| the income | of | an average teacher |
| the heart | of | a dog |
| the color | of | a rose |
13. After nouns such as picture, drawing, video, movie, of can be followed by ordinary personal pronouns like him and me
- This is an old photograph of me.
- Susan does not like this painting of her. (= "this painting representing her")
1. A painting of her has a different meaning from her painting, or a painting of hers, which would usually mean "The / a painting that belongs to her or was painted by her".
2. Also, a film / movie of Angelina Jolie (= "about Angelina Jolie") is different from a film / movie of Angelina Jolie's (= "one made by her").
14. Of does not always come between two nouns; it also follows some adjectives and verbs
- I am afraid of dogs.
- You must be tired of watching television.
- The exploers died of hunger and cold. (= "because of")
15. Idioms
Of is used in many complex prepositions: because of, in need of, instead of, by way of, in favour of, in front of, in spite of, on the point of.
I hope this article helps. If you have any question, please leave a comment below.
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