| A |
hear ABOUT ... = be told about something
- Did you hear about the fire at the hotel yesterday?
hear OF ... = know that somebody/something exists
- 'Who is Tom Hart?' 'I have no idea. I've never heard of him.' (not heard from him)
hear FROM ... = be in contact with somebody
- 'Have you heard from Jane recently?' 'Yes, she called me a few days ago.'
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| B |
think ABOUT ... and think OF ...
When you think ABOUT something, you consider it, you concentrate your mind on it:
- I've thought about what you said and I've decided to take your advice.
- 'Will you lend me the money?' 'I'll think about it.'
When you think OF something, the idea comes to your mind:
- It was my idea. I thought of it first. (not thought about it)
- I felt embarrassed. I couldn't think of anything to say. (not think about anything)
We also use think of when we ask or give an opinion:
- 'what did you think of the movie?' 'I didn't think much of it.' (= I didn't like it much)
The difference is sometimes very small and you can use of or about:
- When I'm alone, I often think of (or about) you.
You can say think of or think about doing something (for possible future actions):
- My sister is thinking of (or about) going to Canada. (= she is considering it)
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| C |
dream ABOUT ... (when you are asleep)
- I dreamt about you last night.
dream OF or ABOUT being something / doing something = imagine
- Do you dream of (or about) being rich and famous?
I wouldn't dream OF doing something = I would never do it
- 'Don't tell anyone what I said.' 'No, I wouldn't dream of it.' (= I would never do it)
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| D |
complain (TO somebody) ABOUT ... = say that you are not satisfied
- We complained to the manager of the restaurant about the food.
complain OF a pain, an illness etc. = say that you have a pain etc.
- We called the doctor because George was complaining of a pain in his stomach.
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| E |
remind somebody ABOUT ... = tell somebody not to forget
- I'm glad you reminded me about the meeting. I'd completely forgotten about it.
remind somebody OF ... = cause somebody to remember
- This house reminds me of the one I lived in when I was a child.
- Look at this photograph of Richard. Who does he remind you of?
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| F |
warn somebody ABOUT a person or thing which is bad, dangerous, unusual etc.
- I knew he was a strange person. I had been warned about him. (not warned of him)
- Vicky warned me about the traffic. She said it would be bad.
warn somebody ABOUT or OF a danger, something bad which might happen later
- Scientists have warned us about (or of) the effects of climate change.
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