The function and use of TO and OF in multi-word units

"The highly frequent word items TO and OF are often conceived merely as prepositions, carrying little meaning in themselves. This book disputes that notion by analysing the usage patterns found for OF and TO in different sets of text corpora. Looking at historical roots and earlier corpus linguistic research, this study demonstrates that both OF and TO have clear semantic and pragmatic functions. The book analyses corpora from three types of text: spoken, semi-prepared spoken such as speeches, and written fiction to explore how the two words are used in English overall and what genre-specific characteristics stand out"--