Consist of, Contain, Comprise, Be composed of, Include, Make up or Constitute?

Hello and welcome to Fransy Fancy English! All these words have approximately the same meaning. Some of them are mostly used in passive, others take the preposition of. Some are formal. This means that you have to pay close attention to the correct use before you put them on paper. 

CONSIST OF

When something consists of specific things or people, it's formed from them. Do not use it in passive or in continuous tenses. You can say that your apartment consists of two rooms, or consisted of two rooms in the past. You can also use the participle, consisting. For example:

"It's a simple dish to prepare, consisting of meat and vegetables."

"Our lunch consisted of sandwiches and fruit."

"The lungs consist of millions of tiny air sacs."

CONTAIN

Think of a container. Boxes, bags and buckets are containers and are used to hold things. They contain, they have these things inside.

"The documents contain classified material." (This is the only thing they have inside, classified material.)

"This is a mocktail. It doesn't contain alcohol."

 "Butter and cream contain a lot of saturated fats."

In everyday conversations, it's more natural to use the preposition "in" instead of contain.

"Does this drink contain sugar?"

"Is there (any) sugar in this drink?" (better)

COMPRISE (formal) 

If your apartment comprises ten rooms or is comprised of ten rooms, then these rooms are parts of your apartment. Do not use it in continuous tenses. When "comprise" is used in the active voice, we don't use the preposition "of".

"The test comprises 30 questions." (NOT The test comprises of 30 questions.)

"The event comprises a champagne reception, two-course lunch, and a fashion show."

"Women comprise a high proportion of part-time workers."

It is often used in passive with the preposition "of":

"The USA is comprised of 50 states."

"Rivers in this area are mainly comprised of domestic and industrial effluent."

BE COMPOSED OF (formal)

Be composed of is used when talking about natural substances. It means "consist of". You can also use it to talk about people in a group. Be careful though. Use it ONLY  in the passive.

"Earth’s atmosphere is composed of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, and 0.1% other gases."

"Chemical elements are composed of atoms."

"Bones are composed of calcium."

"Venus’ atmosphere is mainly composed of carbon dioxide."

INCLUDE

When something includes some parts or things, these things are parts of the whole BUT they they aren't the only parts. For example, if a menu includes vegan options, it doesn't mean that the restaurant doesn't serve burgers or other dishes.

"The price of the holiday includes flights, full board, and all extras."

Do not use it in continuous forms. The participle "including" is quite common:

"The price is $50, including postage and packing."

You can include someone or something in something else.

" Brainstorm the main points you want to include in your essay."

And of course, passive voice:

"Detailed instructions are included in the manual."

MAKE UP (phrasal verb)

To make up is to form something. 

"Muslims make up 55% of the population."

 "The sun makes up 99.9% of the mass of our solar system."

You can use it in passive! The correct structure is: something is made up of something else.

"Life is made up of small pleasures."

"My family is made up of five members."

"A molecule is made up of atoms."

"London is made up of 32 boroughs."

CONSTITUTE (formal)

Are you familiar with the word constituent? Constituents are components, elements or ingredients that make up a whole.

"Hydrogen and oxygen are the constituents of water."

When these components come together, they constitute something, which means they form it. Do not use it in continuous tenses.

"Women constitute 10% of Parliament."

"Twelve months constitute a year."

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