の!

[jinksys]

I have questions about の and its uses.
Do you have a LONG explaination of の?
I mean, sometimes it is used for posession like
犬の本 , the dog's book. But ive also seen it
used to compound words or show types like,
山の上 Top of the Mountain, or Mountain top.

[clay]

jinksys wrote:
I have questions about の and its uses.
Do you have a LONG explaination of の?
I mean, sometimes it is used for posession like
犬の本 , the dog's book. But ive also seen it
used to compound words or show types like,
山の上 Top of the Mountain, or Mountain top.

Actually it may be helpful to think of the two examples as the same thing. The dog's book AND the Mountain's top. Both mean something's something.

There is another usage for の where it acts like a pronoun in some cases. for example - 大きいのがいい。 ookii NO ga ii. The big ONE is best. (as if you were choosing between several items)

AND one more meaning as のは which may be a shortened form of のことは for example - ギターを弾いているのは難しいです。 gita- o hiite iru NO WA muzukashii desu. Playing guitar is difficult. Here のは takes a phrase ギターを弾いている gita- o hiiteiru (play the guitar) and connects it with "is difficult"

[Sunny Pig]

There are 2 general uses of「の」that I know about.

1.「の」can act as a possessive particle, this usage of 「の」is most widely known.

Example:
約束の地（やくそくのち）- Promise's Land --> Land of Promise

「の」can act independantly when the object that is possessed is clear and is omitted.

Example:
赤いのはおいしいようね。 - The red one looks delicious.

2. 「の」can be added to offer an inquiry or explanatory tone.

For a detailed explanation about this, please visit Tae Kim's Japanese Guide to Japanese Grammar.

http://www.geocities.jp/nihongoguide/particles3.html

Hope this helps.