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What is the difference between compose and comprise?
Is “comprised of” the same as “compose of”?
Is comprise a transitive verb?
What does compose mean?
Aug 12, 2022 · Comprise means “to include” or “to be composed of.” A basketball team comprises five players. Comprise is often misused for compose. It’s common for speakers to say that a basketball team “is comprised of five players” instead of “is composed of five players.”
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The fundamental difference between comprise and compose has to do with the whole versus the parts of any object or concept. Lets take a closer look at the definitions to put this in context: comprise is a verb that means to include or contain or to consist of as in The pie comprises 8 slices. Compose means to be or constitute a part of element of o...
Their slippery meanings and similar sounds have likely contributed to the rise of comprised of. The argument against this phrase is rooted in the definitions outlined above. If we hold comprise strictly to the definition of to include or to consist of, then comprised of sounds awkward: The pie is included of 8 pieces sounds nonsensical, and, by tha...
To keep writers in the clear, style guides advise avoiding this construction and opting instead for composed of, consisting of, or made up of. However, it is worth noting that be comprised of is recorded in dictionaries as synonymous with be composed of, and will generally get your point across satisfactorily in informal settings.
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.
Comprise is a transitive verb and means to be made up of, to consist of, and to include. Since comprise is a transitive verb, expect to see a direct object somewhere nearby in the mix of things. For example, The United States comprises 50 states. A full deck comprises 52 cards.
Comprise is a verb that means "to contain." The word is used near the beginning of a sentence. Example: The house comprises ten rooms and three baths. Compose is a verb that means "to combine,” “to put something in order,” or “to make up." The word is used near the end of a sentence. Example: Ten rooms and three baths compose the house.
- Mary Gormandy White
- Staff Writer
| Grammarist. | Usage. Comprise means to consist of or to be composed of. Compose means to make up the constituent parts of. Parts compose the whole, and the whole comprises the parts. For example, we could say that the United States comprises 50 states and that the 50 states compose the United States.
Apr 21, 2016 · Comprise or Compose? The problem with “comprised of” is that “comprise” is the opposite of “compose,” not a synonym. In short, they can’t be used interchangeably. One good way to remember this is the following: The whole comprises the parts; the parts compose the whole.
