Uni-edit English Writing Tip: Verbs: Consists of / comprises / composed
of / constitutes / make up / includes

Difficulty: Medium

Contain, consist, compose, constitute, comprise…what these verbs have in
common is the Latin root “com-“, which means “to put together”. They
describe the relationship of parts to the whole, or whole to parts. They
can be used interchangeably in some cases, but cannot in others. Let’s
look at the usages of each word, with attention to active and passive
voice.

What’s an Exhaustive List? What’s a Non-Exhaustive List? The idea of an
exhaustive vs. non-exhaustive list is crucial to using the verbs
correctly.

Exhaustive list - report all the items Non-exhaustive list - report some
but not all of the items

Exhaustive list: My siblings consist of three brothers. This means I
have no sisters. Non-exhaustive list: My siblings include three
brothers. This means I have one or more sisters.

Choose the right verb Some verbs are used for exhaustive lists. Some
verbs are used for non-exhaustive lists. You must choose the right verb
for the situation.

Non-exhaustive verbs: include / contain Include The meanings are
essentially equivalent. The whole includes the parts; the parts are
included in the whole. The whole contains the parts; the parts are
contained in the whole.

Correct: Asia includes the countries of China, Japan, and Korea. (It
also includes other countries.) Incorrect: North America includes the
countries of the USA, Canada, and Mexico. (It does not include other
countries.)

Correct: The report contains statistics about the labor market from
2008–2014. (It also includes other statistics.)

Exhaustive verbs: consist of / compose / comprise / constitute / make up
Consist of When you write 'consist of', you must write the entire list.
The whole consists of the parts.

Correct: North America consists of three countries: the USA, Canada, and
Mexico. Incorrect: Asia consists of China, Japan, and Korea. (There are
more than these three countries in Asia.)

By the way, “is consisted of” is incorrect English.

Compose When you write 'compose', you must write the entire list. The
whole is composed of the parts.

Correct: The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor is composed of five
subunits: the muscle-type one is composed of two alpha1, one beta1, one
delta, and one epsilon subunits.

By the way, when using 'compose' with this meaning, the active voice is
less common, perhaps because active-voice “compose” has another meaning,
which is “to write (an artistic work)”: e.g., Mozart composed his first
symphony at the age of eight.

Comprise When you write 'comprises', you must write the entire list.
Standard usage is “the whole comprises the parts”. In modern times, the
usage “the whole is comprised of the parts” is common. However, since
some English style authorities think the latter usage is mistaken, use
it at your own risk. An alternative like “consists of” is
uncontroversial.

Correct: A simple circuit comprises a source of voltage (e.g. a
battery), a conductive path (e.g. a wire), and a resistor (e.g. a
lightbulb). Alternative correct: A simple circuit is comprised of
consists of a source of voltage (e.g. a battery), a conductive path
(e.g. a wire), and a resistor (e.g. a lightbulb).

Make up When you write 'make up' or ‘made up of’, you must write the
entire list.

Correct: Seeds and fern spores make up the finch’s diet. Correct: The
finch’s diet is made up of seeds and fern spores.

Constitute When you write 'constitute', you must write the entire list.
The parts constitute the whole; the whole is constituted of the parts.
The active voice is more common than the passive voice.

Correct: Automobile exhaust constitutes a large proportion of total
greenhouse gas emissions. Explanation: Here, in grammatical terms, the
'whole' is the 'large proportion of total greenhouse gas emissions', not
‘total greenhouse gas emissions’.

END OF TIP