of

The word “of” means used to show that something belongs to, or is a part of, something else. In plain terms, one of the most common words in English, used to link a noun to what it belongs to, is made of, or concerns.

“Of” is pronounced ov (/ʌv/ in IPA).

Here is “of” used in a sentence: “The cover of the book was torn.”

“Of” is a preposition.

The word “of” comes from Old English. From Old English of, originally meaning "away from" — the same word that eventually split into both "of" and "off" in Middle English.

“Of” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Of” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: used to show that something belongs to, or is a part of, something else.

No. "Could of" is a misspelling of "could have" (contracted as "could've"), which merely sounds like "could of" in fast speech. The same applies to "should have" and "would have" — never "should of" or "would of."

"Of" is a preposition showing belonging, origin, or material: "the door of the house", "made of wood." "Off" means away from or removed from something: "take it off the table." They are pronounced differently — "of" is unstressed with a v-sound — and are never interchangeable.

The "of" structure is preferred for inanimate things and long phrases: "the roof of the old house" rather than "the old house's roof." Apostrophe-s is the natural choice for people and animals: "Sarah's book", "the dog's tail."

Use "made of" when the original material is still recognizable: "a table made of oak." Use "made from" when the material has been transformed into something else: "paper is made from wood."