/ kənˈsɪst; NAmE / verb
(not used in the progressive tenses)
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PHRASAL VERBS
- consist in sth
- consist of sth
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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'.
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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).