What's the Difference between "Of" and "Off"?

The short answer:

Of shows connection. Off shows disconnection.

Some examples:

• "I'm the brother of Jeniffer," shows the connection between Jeniffer and myself (we're brother and sister).
• "Jeniffer ran off," shows disconnection (she left).

• "A story of hats," shows connection (the story is about hats).
• "My hat fell off," shows disconnection (my hat is no longer on my head).

The full answer:

Of

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"Of" has many different meanings.
Here are the main ones:

Of (preposition) =

1) Belonging to or relating to someone or something.

Examples:

• That's the house of Joe.
• Sarah is a good friend of Mary.
• They are colleagues of mine.
• He is the son of Beth.
• We studied the works of William Shakespeare.
• I'm the head of the company.
• The color of the wall is white.
• This is a major part of the problem.
• What's the name of the movie?
• She is the Queen of England.
• The victory of England was unexpected.
• The love of nature will never disappear.
• She has a fear of the dark.

2) Used to show an amount.

Examples:

• I need a pound of oranges.
• He ate a handful of nuts.
• There are a lot of people.
• All of us are happy to see you.

3) Used to show numbers, dates and ages.

Examples:

• We have a girl of five.
• He predicted an increase of 2.4% in earnings.
• It was the 1st of May 2001.

4) Containing or consisting of.

Examples:

• Please give me a glass of water.
  
• He brought a box of goodies.
  
• We were stopped by a group of people.
• A pack of wolves cried in the forest.
• She wears a dress of silk and a necklace of gold.

4) Used to show a reason.

Examples:

• He died of a heart illness.
• We came of our own desire.
• There were many changes as a result of the war.

5) About or showing something or someone.

Examples:

• This is a story of love and hate.
• She showed us a picture of her baby.
• Take a look at the sketch of the house.

6) Used to show which one.

Examples:

• The city of New York
  (= The city called New York)
• The country of France
  (= The country called France)
• The year of 1956
  (= The year 1956)
• The problem of finding good workers
  (= The problem that is finding workers)

7) Used to show a characteristic.

Examples:

• He is a man of great power.
• Clara is a woman of great beauty.
• This is a matter of no importance.
  

8) Living or coming from a certain place.

Examples:

• The people of Spain are called Spaniards.
• She met with Philip of Spain.
• Who was Jesus of Nazareth?
  

The word "off" has a completely different meanings...

Off

"Off" has many different meanings.
Here are the main ones:
Off (adverb) =

1) Not touching something or removed.

Examples:

• Try to stay off the grass.
• His glasses fell off.
• You can take off your hat.
• He finally had his mustache shaved off.
• Don't leave the yogurt with the top off.
• She took the picture off the wall.
• Bob kicked off his boots.

2) Away from a place.

Examples:

• She ran off without saying goodbye.
• All the cats ran off as soon as I arrived.
• You get off at the next station.

3) Not operating or not at work.

Examples:

• Turn off your computer.
• The electricity is off.
• She had a year off, but now she is back in the office.
• I need some time off.
• You had a few days off last week.

3) Canceled.

Examples:

• The wedding is off.
• The deal is off.
• The competition is off.

4) Near a place.

Examples:

• We visited an island off the coast off Italy.
• Their motel was just off the main road.

5) Far away.

Examples:

• I see a tower off in the distance.
• Jessica is off in Africa.
• Your birthday is a long way off.
• The winter is not so far off.

6. Less.

Examples:

• The shirts are $5 off, so instead of $12 they cost $7.
• All apples are %15 off until the end of the day.

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