Meaning of of In English

• 0 used to show possession, belonging, or origin:

  • a friend of mine

  • the president of the United States

  • employees of the company

  • the colour of his hair

  • a habit of mine

  • that revolting dog of hers

  • the love of a good woman

  • the complete plays of (= written by) Lorca

• 1 used after words or phrases expressing amount, number, or a particular unit:

  • a kilo of apples

  • loads of food

  • hundreds of people

  • most of them

  • none of them

  • both of us

  • a third of all people

  • a speck of dust

  • a drop of rain

• 2 containing:

  • a bag of sweets

  • a bottle of beer

  • a book of short stories

  • a class of idiots

• 3 used in expressions showing position:

  • the top of his head

  • the back of your dress

  • on the corner of the street

  • the front of the queue

  • I've never been north of Philadelphia.

• 4 typical or characteristic of:

  • She has the face of an angel.

  • That guy's got the personality of a dead fish!

• 5 used to refer to a particular date in a month:

  • the eleventh of March

  • the first of the month

• 6 made or consisting of; having:

  • dresses of lace and silk

  • plates of gold and silver

  • a land of ice and snow

  • a woman of great charm

  • a subject of very little interest

• 7 used to connect particular adjectives and verbs with nouns:

  • fond of swimming

  • sick of his excuses

  • scared of spiders

• 8 used after an adjective when judging someone's behaviour:

  • It was mean of you to mention her weight.

  • Thank you so much for my present. How thoughtful of you.

• 9 about; relating to:

  • Speaking of Elizabeth, here she is.

  • One of the advantages of travelling by train is being able to read.

  • Let us consider the events of the last five months.

  • Of her childhood we know very little.

  • formal And what of (= tell me about) young Adrian? How is he?

• 10 that is/are:

  • the problem of homelessness

  • a rise of two percent in inflation

  • the skill of negotiating

  • the difficulty of bringing up twins

  • the pain of separation

  • At the age of six she could read a newspaper.

• 11 done to:

  • the massacre of hundreds of innocent people

  • the oppression of a nation

  • the destruction of the rain forest

• 12 felt or experienced by:

  • the suffering of millions

  • the anguish of the murdered child's parents

• 13 through; having as the cause:

  • He died of cancer.

  • I didn't have to go there - I did it of my own free will.

  • I want to know how it happened because it certainly didn't happen of itself.

• 14 used when comparing related things:

  • I liked the green one best of all .

  • Worst of all was the food!

  • He's the best looking of the three brothers.

  • I think that of all his books it's my favourite.

• 15 used in saying what the time is:

  • It's ten (minutes) of five (= ten minutes before five o'clock).

• 16 used in expressions showing distance from something in place or time:

  • We live within a mile of the school.

  • She came within two seconds of beating the world record.

• 17 used in expressions showing loss:

  • They were robbed of all their savings.

  • I feel I've been deprived of your company.

• 18 during:

  • I like to relax with a pipe of an evening.

• 19 used to show possession, belonging, or origin:

  • She is a friend of mine.

  • The color of his tie matches his suit.

  • Have you read the novels of John Updike?

• 20 containing or consisting of:

  • a bag of groceries

  • a book of short stories

  • a forest of pine trees

  • a bunch of grapes

• 21 used after words or phrases expressing amount, number, or a particular unit:

  • a drop of rain

  • two pounds of potatoes

  • hundreds of people

• 22 used in expressions showing position:

  • I left the book on top of my desk.

  • I’ve never been north of Montreal.

• 23 resulting from or having to do with:

  • the joy of family

  • the fear of failure

• 24 about, or relating to:

  • Speaking of Elizabeth, here she is.

  • There’s a chapter on the use of herbs for medicinal purposes.

• 25 used to show the cause of something:

  • He died of a heart attack.

  • Penny is frightened of spiders.

  • I’m tired of all this criticism.

• 26 that is/are:

  • Sales tax of 7% is included in the price.

  • She could read by the age of five.

• 27 used when comparing related things:

  • He’s the oldest of three brothers.

  • Of all his films, this one is my favorite.

• 28 done to or involving:

  • the destruction of the rain forests

  • the graduation of the class of 2001

• 29 used in expressions showing distance from something in place or time:

  • We live within a mile of the school.

  • She came within two seconds of beating the world record.

• 30 used in saying what the time is:

  • It’s ten (minutes) of five (= ten minutes before five o’clock).

• 31 used to describe a particular day:

  • the eleventh of March

  • the first of the month