A gramatical point: the exact difference between "of" and "from"?

Question

Im not anglophone,and some times I find it difficult to choose between "of" , "from" and also " 's",could you help me?

Answer 1

Use of the Apostrophe ('):
He is the dog of Matthew = He is Matthew's dog.
That dog belongs to the boys = That is the boys' dog. Also used if a person's name ends in "s" as in "Tess' black dog."
"It is" is often shortened to it's.
The car's door is scratched = Its door is scratched. (No apostrophe used in this situation.)

I agree, it's very confusing!

As to "from" and "of", the confusion comes from the use of "de" in other languages for both words. "From" refers mostly to place. "Of" refers mostly to belonging. Try to use the apostrophe to refer to belonging, and you'll avoid the issue in most cases.

Answer 2

You only use "from" when you are speaking about the place of origin for some person, thing...

EX: He comes from England. They are from that house. That bowl comes from China. The meaning of that word comes from the ancient Hebrew.

You can use "of" for some of the same things, but it is a much more widely used word.

EX: He is of England (technically right, but not used often at all). You would be more likely to say "He is of English descent."

I don't know if this actually helps or provides more confusion...but there it is! Haha. Are you not native English speaker?

Answer 3

From is used more geographically, like I am from a given town. I am part of a particular family
's is a possessive as in I am one of Colorado's inhabitants.
I am my parents (plural!) son. But I am my father's (singular) son