"think of" and "think about"

[makone]

Hi,
I would like to ask whether there is a significant difference between "think of" and "think about" or not. My dictionary is nor exactly precise on this matter so I will be very grateful for any help. Thank you in advance.

 

[Clare James]

In some sentences, you can use think of or think about with no difference in meaning, but there are some differences in usage. In general, think of + object is often used to talk about your opinion about things. For example:

What do you think of Karen's new boyfriend?
I'm not sure what I think of the changes in government policy.

Whereas think about without any object can be used in a more general meditative sense, such as
I sat in the sofa thinking about the weekend.
What are you thinking about?

I don't know if American usage is different on this point.

 

[susiedqq]

Yes, those rules apply, however,

Think of all the ways . . .

means the same as

Think about all the ways . . .

HOW these words are used in the sentence is the major clue.