of

of [ əv, strong av ] preposition ***

1. ) used for stating who or what has a particular feature, aspect, or quality:

We were impressed by the size of the building.

the color of the sky

I don't remember the name of the street.

the smell of unwashed clothes

2. ) used for stating which specific thing belonging to a more general type you are referring to:

I had a feeling of duty toward him.

She seemed to like the idea of having children.

the month of April

the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul

Todd has the annoying habit of questioning everything I say.

a ) used for giving a specific age, amount, value, etc.:

She met Charles at the age of 20.

She was a young girl of no more than 13.

Lynn earns a salary of thirty thousand dollars a year.

Teachers have been asking for a pay raise of 4 percent.

3. ) used after nouns that refer to actions for stating who or what does the action:

the shouts of excited children

This is clearly the work of more than one person.

the arrival of our train

a ) used after nouns that refer to actions for stating who or what is affected by the action:

the baptism of children

The removal of the machine parts took several hours.

4. ) used for stating who something belongs to:

the property of the residents

They ended up living in the house of Jeanne's oldest brother.

5. ) concerning or showing someone or something:

She had a photograph of him beside her bed.

It was a tale of war and bravery.

a history of Russia

Jerry kept thinking of the last time they'd met.

I reminded her of her duty to her family.

6. ) used for stating the thing that something is part of:

He moved to the far side of the bed.

a pain in the back of my head

She sat on the edge of her chair.

The roof of the church was damaged.

7. ) used for stating what something contains:

He handed her a glass of water.

a box of chocolates

a bag of nuts

a ) used for stating what type of thing is in a particular quantity or group:

a pound of rice

millions of insects

a collection of poems

a swarm of bees

a succession of temporary jobs

a pair of sunglasses

b ) used for talking about individual pieces of a substance:

a grain of sugar/sand

a slice of cake

a piece of wood/ice

a sheet of paper

c ) used for stating the group that a particular person or thing is from:

She's one of my best friends.

Three of us went on vacation together.

Several of the apartments cannot even be lived in.

8. ) used after names and titles for talking about the relationship between a person and a place or organization:

He listed the kings and queens of England.

the President of Syria

the treasurer of the club

9. ) used for stating the substance used for making something:

a suit of lightweight wool

He was wearing a shirt of soft pink cotton.

instruments made of stainless steel

10. ) used for stating dates and periods of time:

the 27th of November

the last month of the year

11. ) used after some adjectives for stating the person or thing that a feeling is directed toward:

You should be ashamed of yourself!

I'm tired of their constant arguing.

Maya ought to be proud of him.

12. ) used for stating the type of person or thing that has been described by another noun:

He was an angel of a child.

We had a hell of a time trying to find a parking space.

13. ) used for stating the person who behaves in a particular way in a situation:

it was nice/sweet/stupid etc. of someone: It was nice of you to help me.

It was stupid of me to think they would agree.

14. ) AMERICAN used in saying the time to mean a particular number of minutes before the hour:

It's twenty of two (=1:40).

It's a quarter of nine (=8:45).

15. ) used for stating the thing that causes something else:

the beneficial effects of red wine

He died of lung cancer.

As a result of pollution, many species have died out.

16. ) used for stating a quality that someone or something has:

He was a man of great charm.

The research will be of great interest to many people.

Our conversation was of little importance.

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a ) more/less/much of a something used for describing the importance of a quality that something has:

It was really more of a comment than a question.

Jet travel has made moving from place to place less of an ordeal.

Getting tickets for Tuesday shouldn't be much of a problem.

17. ) used for stating who wrote a book or play, produced a work of art, etc.:

the wonderful paintings of Picasso

the plays of Harold Pinter

18. ) used for describing when something happens in relation to something else:

She didn't invite him till the evening of the party.

Eva's father died the day of his 70th birthday.

19. ) used for stating the period of time for which someone or something is the biggest, best, most important, etc.:

Reynolds was named businessman of the year in 1998.

the most popular movie of the summer

20. ) used for stating who has a particular relationship with someone else:

Lori is the daughter of my father's sister.

He was having an affair with the wife of a diplomat.

a good friend of mine

21. ) used for stating the type of activity or situation that lasts for a particular period of time:

We had weeks of problems with the new computer system.

Twelve years of peace were followed by two years of war.