advantage of

[winkd]

Do these two sentences mean almost the same? If so (= what I expect), could you explain why the words following "advantage of" are different in these two sentences? I am very confused with this usage.

1. A big advantage of publish transportation is that it is cheap.
2. Public transportation has a definite advantage of being cheap.

 

[The Newt]

They would mean roughly the same if you change them just a bit:

A big / One big advantage of public transportation is that it is cheap.
Public transportation has the definite advantage of being cheap.

 

[lingobingo]

In the UK, and I think elsewhere, the term is public transport.

1. A big advantage of public transport
Here the ‘of’ is used to denote possession – one of public transport’s advantages / an advantage possessed (and offered) by public transport

2. Public transport has the advantage of being cheap
Here the ‘of’ is used to form a prepositional phrase explaining which specific advantage is meant – the advantage {that it is cheap}

 

[winkd]

Sorry "publish" was a typo...

Thank you for the answers.

1. A big advantage of public transport
Here the ‘of’ is used to denote possession – one of public transport’s advantages / an advantage possessed (and offered) by public transport

2. Public transport has the advantage of being cheap
Here the ‘of’ is used to form a prepositional phrase explaining which specific advantage is meant – the advantage {that it is cheap}

What changes the meaning of "of"? (I guess the verbs, "is" and "has".)

 

[PaulQ]

A big / One big advantage of public transportation is that it is cheap(adjective qualifying "it" = public transportation).
Public transportation has the definite advantage of being cheap.(prepositional gerundive adjectival modifier, modifying "advantage")

 

[lingobingo]

What changes the meaning of "of"? (I guess the verbs, "is" and "has".)

No. It has nothing to do with the main verb. The difference lies in the object of the preposition “of”.

an advantage of the service (belonging to it) is…

the service’s advantage
of convenience/affordability/reliability
of being convenient/cheap/reliable

 

[winkd]

I understand your explanations! Thank you!