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Published: Aug. 3, 2015, 7:06 a.m.

If you know of Go Natural English, then you are undoubtedly familiar with your American English teacher, Gabby Wallace. Knowing of something or somebody means that you are familiar with a certain place, object, or person.

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You could hear phrases like, \u201cI know of the Valley of the Kings in Egypt although I\u2019ve never personally been there, but I have ready many books about it.\u201d\xa0 You might also hear someone say, \u201cI know of your theories, but I\u2019ve never actually put them into practice.\u201d

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English is a great language to use when communicating because it is rich with expressive idioms and phrases. Don\u2019t forget to take every opportunity to visit gonaturalenglish.com for helpful tips and ideas on how to improve your English conversational skills. Be sure to check out the premium course for more advanced support and practice with English.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNKox_1r5fs

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Episode transcript below:

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Hey there! What\u2019s up?

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How are you doing, lovely English learner?

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I want to share an awesome English tip with you that I notice a lot of people having some trouble with.

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So, the difference between \u201cTo Know\u201d and \u201cTo Know Of\u201d \u2013 To know of, that little word \u201cof\u201d makes a big difference.

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So, I see people confusing these two a lot,

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So, if you\u2019re not sure what the difference is, then listen on and watch on.

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So, \u201cTo Know\u201d of course, is to have knowledge of something right?

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\u201cI know my address.\u201d

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\u201cI know my friends very well.\u201d

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\u201cI know how to learn a language.\u201d

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\u201cTo know of\u201d is usually used with a person.

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Now, I said, \u201cI know my friends well.\u201d

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That means that I\u2019m familiar with their characters and the way they behave, but if I say, \u201cI know of\u201d plus a person \u2013 for example \u201cI know of\u201d \u2013 who was I just looking at yesterday \u2013 there was a comedian, Chelsea something.

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Let\u2019s say \u201cI know\u201d \u2013 let me use someone I actually remember the name for ... \u201cI know of Jimmy Fallon, but I don\u2019t know Jimmy Fallon.\u201d

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\u201cTo know\u201d someone means you actually have met them \u2013 you know them personally, right?

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\u201cTo know of someone means that you\u2019ve heard their name \u2013 you may be familiar with what they do or who they are, but you\u2019re not close friends with them.

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So, a native speaker will use these two phrases in different ways, right?

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\u201cTo know of\u201d a person is to have heard their name.

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\u201cTo know\u201d a person is to be very familiar and to have met the person \u2013 to be familiar with them, to know them on a personal basis.

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Alright, so that\u2019s the difference, and that\u2019s why it sounds funny when I hear people saying, \u201cOh yeah, I know Jimmy Fallon\u201d, right?

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No, you know of Jimmy Fallon, right?

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So, it\u2019s a small little word, but it can just help you to sound a little bit more fluent and native-like, alright?

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We also use \u201cTo Know of\u201d with places, right?

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So, \u201cI know of Mongolia, but I\u2019ve never been there.\u201d

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If I\u2019ve been there, I would probably say, \u201cOh yeah, I know Mongolia really well\u201d, right?

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Because I\u2019m familiar with that place \u2013 I\u2019ve been there.

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Actually I personally haven\u2019t been there so, I would say, \u201cI know of Mongolia and its beautiful places.\u201d

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I think there\u2019s a beautiful Lake Baikal there.

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Anyway, if you\u2019re from Mongolia, please leave your comment.

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Tell me about what I should know about Mongolia.

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I\u2019m getting way off topic, but I want you to know the difference between \u201cTo Know\u201d and \u201cTo Know of.\u201d

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So, I hope this was helpful.

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I hope that you will watch English lessons with Go Natural English on gonaturalenglish.com.

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We have the premium course and then we have the quick English tips so, two different ways that you can learn together with me.

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Alright, thanks so much for watching and I\u2019ll talk to you again soon.

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Bye for now.

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Photo Credits:\xa0geralt