Question

Describe the main differences in the usage of "to comprise", "to constitute", "to consist in", "to consist of" and "to be composed of".

Accepted Answer

You say that something comprises particular things when you are mentioning all its parts ("The village's social facilities comprised one public toilet and two telephones."). Some people say that something `is comprised of' particular things, but this is generally thought to be incorrect. You can also say that something is composed of or consists of particular things. There is no difference in meaning. "Constitute" works in the opposite way to the verbs just mentioned. You say that the parts of something constitute the whole. Finally, something that consists in something else has that thing as its main or only part (...His work consisted in advising foreign companies on...).

Main Consist Composed Parts Comprised Describe Differences Usage