Consist, comprise or compose?
Consist, comprise and compose are all verbs used to describe what something is ‘made of’. We don’t use them in continuous forms.
Consist
Their diet only consisted of fruit and seeds.
The whole group consists of students.
We only use the active form of consist of:
Their flat consists of two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom.
Not:
Their flat is consisted of two bedrooms…
Comprise
Comprise is more formal than consist:
The USA comprises 50 states.
We can also use it in the passive voice in the form ‘be comprised of’:
The course is comprised of ten lectures and five seminars on the theory of economics and banking.
Comprise, but not compose, can be used with the parts that make up something as the subject:
Oil and coal comprise 70% of the nation’s exports.
Compose of is even more formal than consist of and comprise. Compose of is only used in the passive voice:
Muscle is composed of different types of protein.
Typical errors
We don’t use consist, comprise and compose in a continuous form:
The whole group consists of students.
Not:
The whole group is consisting of students.
(“Consist, comprise or compose ?” dans English Grammar Today © Cambridge University Press.)
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- Adjectives and adverbs
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Easily confused words
- Above or over?
- Across, over or through?
- Advice or advise?
- Affect or effect?
- All or every?
- All or whole?
- Allow, permit or let?
- Almost or nearly?
- Alone, lonely, or lonesome?
- Along or alongside?
- Already, still or yet?
- Also, as well or too?
- Alternate(ly), alternative(ly)
- Although or though?
- Altogether or all together?
- Amount of, number of or quantity of?
- Any more or anymore?
- Anyone, anybody or anything?
- Apart from or except for?
- Arise or rise?
- Around or round?
- Arouse or rouse?
- As or like?
- As, because or since?
- As, when or while?
- Been or gone?
- Begin or start?
- Beside or besides?
- Between or among?
- Born or borne?
- Bring, take and fetch
- Can, could or may?
- Classic or classical?
- Come or go?
- Consider or regard?
- Consist, comprise or compose?
- Content or contents?
- Different from, different to or different than?
- Do or make?
- Down, downwards or downward?
- During or for?
- Each or every?
- East or eastern; north or northern?
- Economic or economical?
- Efficient or effective?
- Elder, eldest or older, oldest?
- End or finish?
- Especially or specially?
- Every one or everyone?
- Except or except for?
- Expect, hope or wait?
- Experience or experiment?
- Fall or fall down?
- Far or a long way?
- Farther, farthest or further, furthest?
- Fast, quick or quickly?
- Fell or felt?
- Female or feminine; male or masculine?
- Finally, at last, lastly or in the end?
- First, firstly or at first?
- Fit or suit?
- Following or the following?
- For or since?
- Forget or leave?
- Full or filled?
- Fun or funny?
- Get or go?
- Grateful or thankful?
- Hear or listen (to)?
- High or tall?
- Historic or historical?
- House or home?
- How is …? or What is … like?
- If or when?
- If or whether?
- Ill or sick?
- Imply or infer?
- In the way or on the way?
- It’s or its?
- Late or lately?
- Lay or lie?
- Lend or borrow?
- Less or fewer?
- Look at, see or watch?
- Low or short?
- Man, mankind or people?
- Maybe or may be?
- Maybe or perhaps?
- Nearest or next?
- Never or not … ever?
- Nice or sympathetic?
- No doubt or without doubt?
- No or not?
- Nowadays, these days or today?
- Open or opened?
- Opportunity or possibility?
- Opposite or in front of?
- Other, others, the other or another?
- Out or out of?
- Permit or permission?
- Person, persons or people?
- Pick or pick up?
- Play or game?
- Politics, political, politician or policy?
- Price or prize?
- Principal or principle?
- Quiet or quite?
- Raise or rise?
- Remember or remind?
- Right or rightly?
- Rob or steal?
- Say or tell?
- So that or in order that?
- Sometimes or sometime?
- Sound or noise?
- Speak or talk?
- Such or so?
- There, their or they’re?
- Towards or toward?
- Wait or wait for?
- Wake, wake up or awaken?
- Worth or worthwhile?
- Nouns, pronouns and determiners
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Prepositions and particles
- Above
- After
- Against
- Among and amongst
- At
- At, in and to (movement)
- At, on and in (place)
- At, on and in (time)
- Below
- Beneath: meaning and use
- Beyond
- By + myself etc.
- During
- For
- For + -ing
- From
- In front of
- In spite of and despite
- In, into
- Near and near to
- Of
- On, onto
- Over
- Prepositional phrases
- Prepositions
- To
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- Until
- With
- Within
- Without
- Words, sentences and clauses
- Using English
- Verbs
Mot du jour
warm-hearted
kind and loving
