comprise, consist of, include, compose, or constitute?
Comprise and consist of are concerned with a whole having a number of parts. They are used in the active voice, with the whole as their subject and the parts as their object: The house comprises three bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room.The meal consisted of several small dishes that everybody dipped into and shared. Use of comprise in the sense "to constitute" is controversial. Avoid constructions like this if you wish to steer clear of criticism: The house is comprised of three bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room.Three bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room comprise the house. If some rather than all the parts are mentioned, include may be used instead: The house includes a kitchen and a living room on the first floor.Compose and constitute are concerned with parts making up a whole. Compose is normally used in the passive, and constitute in the active: The team is composed of several experts in the field.The following commodities constitute the average household diet.
|
