CONSIST


Meaning of CONSIST in English

/ kənˈsɪst; NAmE / verb

(not used in the progressive tenses)

PHRASAL VERBS

- consist in sth

- consist of sth

••

SYNONYMS

consist of

comprise ♦ make up ♦ constitute ♦ be composed of ♦ be comprised of ♦ compose

All these words mean to be formed from the things or people mentioned, or to be the parts that form sth.

consist of sb/sth

to be formed from the things, people or activities mentioned:

Their diet consists largely of vegetables.

comprise

( rather formal ) to be formed from the things or people mentioned:

The collection comprises 327 paintings.

NOTE

Comprise can also be used to refer to the parts or members of sth:

Older people comprise a large proportion of those living in poverty.

However, this is less frequent.

make up sth

( rather informal ) to be the parts or people that form sth:

Women make up 56% of the student numbers.

constitute

to be the parts or people that form sth:

People under the age of 40 constitute the majority of the labour force.

be composed of sb/sth

( rather formal ) to be formed from the things or people mentioned:

Around 15% of our diet is composed of protein.

be comprised of sb/sth

to be formed from the things or people mentioned:

The committee is comprised of representatives from both the public and private sectors.

NOTE

Some people consider this usage incorrect, and prefer to use the active verb comprise .

compose

( formal ) to be the parts of people that form sth:

Christians compose around 2.5% of the country's population.

which word?

Consist of sb/sth is the most general of these words and the only one that can be used for activities with the -ing form of a verb:

My work at that time just consisted of typing letters.

The other main difference is between those verbs that take the whole as the subject and the parts as the object:

The group consists of / comprises / is made up of / is composed of / is comprised of ten people.

and those that take the parts as the subject and the whole as the object:

Ten people make up / constitute / comprise / compose the group.

It is not correct to use 'comprises of' or 'is composed by / from'.

••

WORD ORIGIN

late Middle English (in the sense be located or inherent in ): from Latin consistere stand firm or still, exist, from con- together + sistere stand (still).

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.