of

[navi tasan]

1-He is a man of honor.
2-The Christian God is a God of Love.

In 1, "of" turns "honor" into an adjective, he is an honorable man.
But is the function of "of" the same in 2? Does" a god of love" mean the same as a "loving god"?

 

[MikeNewYork]

1-He is a man of honor.
2-The Christian God is a God of Love.

In 1, "of" turns "honor" into an adjective, he is an honorable man.
But is the function of "of" the same in 2? Does" a god of love" mean the same as a "loving god"?

The word "honor" in #1 is still a noun. It is the object of the preposition "of", and the prepositional phrase is an adjective. One can restate #1 as you have, using an adjective.

The "of" in #2 is also a preposition and it functions the same way. In that case, a loving God is a good substitute for God of Love. This does not always work, however. The preposition "of" has a variety of meanings. If we say that Demeter is the goddess of agriculture, it does not mean that she is an agricultural goddess. It would mean that she is associated with agriculture. If we say that the Christian God is a God of Hope, it does not mean that he is a hopeful god; it would mean that he provides hope to others.

 

[navi tasan]

Thanks Mike.
If I have got it right, "the god of love" could mean two things: Venus was the goddess of love but she wasn't necessarily a loving goddess, she was a "goddess of love" in the sense Demeter was the goddess of agriculture. Then Jesus was "the god of love", in the sense that he was a loving god.

What would you say "the hand of magic" means. I think I heard that somewhere. It was said of the hand of a sportsperson.

 

[RonBee]

I have never heard the term hand of magic nor have I seen it in writing. However, I have heard the magic touch. It means a person it talented at something.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Thanks Mike.
If I have got it right, "the god of love" could mean two things: Venus was the goddess of love but she wasn't necessarily a loving goddess, she was a "goddess of love" in the sense Demeter was the goddess of agriculture. Then Jesus was "the god of love", in the sense that he was a loving god.

What would you say "the hand of magic" means. I think I heard that somewhere. It was said of the hand of a sportsperson.

You're welcome. I'm with Ron on the last point.

 

[Awten]

Mike and Ron, you guys really know your stuff. How did you learn all of this information. What schools did you two go to, and what are you doing now?

You too Red and Casiopea

 

[MikeNewYork]

Mike and Ron, you guys really know your stuff. How did you learn all of this information. What schools did you two go to, and what are you doing now?

You too Red and Casiopea

That is very kind of you.

I am a veterinarian. Words and grammar are a hobby for me. I became very interested in the English language when I began lecturing, writing papers and books, and editing manuscripts for others.