When do you use "of," and when do you use "from"?
Example 1: "I am a member of The Beatles," or "I am a member from The Beatles."
Example 2: "I am a baseball player of the Boston Red Sox," or "I am a baseball player from the Boston Red Sox."
When do you use "about," and when do you use "on"?
Example: "I will write a paper on copyediting," or "I will write a paper about copyediting."
For me, it seems (or is it, "to me, it seems...?") like you just have to play it by ear.
3 comments:
The dictionary gives these definitions, among others, for of:
1. used to indicate derivation or origin (the songs of Gershwin);
2. used to indicate apposition or identity (a genius of a pilot);
3. used to indicate possession or association (property of the church);
4. used to indicate inclusion in a number, class, or whole (one of us).
This is one of the definitions of from:
used to indicate source or origin (to come from the Midwest).
Let's construct some sentences using these definitions of of:
The books of Stephen King are spooky.
Ritchie Mae, of Waipahu, is in my editing class.
Pat Matsueda, of the English department, is my teacher.
A member of the police force has to be honest.
One of the dogs got loose and ran into a neigbhor's yard.
I am a member of The Beatles.
Let's construct some sentences using the definition of from:
Ritchie Mae, who graduated from Waipahu High School, is a biology major.
Pat Matsueda, who is originally from Japan, now teaches English.
The storekeeper from the flower shop across the mall is taking a break.
This book, which I got from the library, has great illustrations.
The Rainbow Warriors are a team from Hawai‘i.
More examples:
Francis of Assisi is the founder of the Franciscan order and the patron saint of animals.
I borrowed a book from him.
I borrowed a book of his.
A representative of the governor's office spoke at the conference.
Someone from the governor's office spoke at the conference.
As you point out, there are sentences in which you can use of or from:
People of Hawai‘i have a reputation for being friendly.
People from Hawai‘i have a reputation for being friendly.
That is not to say, of course, that the two words are interchangeable—merely that one or the other can be used in some cases.
On and about are closer in meaning. According to my computer's dictionary, the former means "having [the thing mentioned] as a topic," and the latter means "on the subject of; concerning."
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