Illustration for Comprise, Compose, Consist: The One That Takes No “Of”

Comprise, Compose, Consist: The One That Takes No “Of”

ByNathan Cole

Three words for the same relationship, running in different directions.

Which way each one runs

  • Comprise — the whole comprises the parts. The committee comprises twelve members.
  • Compose — the parts compose the whole. Twelve members compose the committee.
  • Consist of — the whole consists of the parts. The committee consists of twelve members.

The trick: comprise means contains. Substitute contains and see whether the sentence still works. The committee contains twelve members — fine. The committee is contained of twelve members — obviously not, which is the whole argument about the next section.

“Is comprised of”

This is the disputed construction, and it is genuinely disputed rather than settled.

The traditional objection: comprise already means consists of, so is comprised of is redundant and backwards. It is a blend of is composed of and comprises — two correct constructions colliding.

The counter-argument: it has been in use since the eighteenth century and appears throughout respectable writing. Merriam-Webster records it as standard.

Where that leaves you: a Wikipedia editor famously spent years removing the phrase from articles, which tells you both that people care and that caring about it is unusual. Style guides mostly still advise against it. It costs nothing to avoid.

The safe versions

All of these are uncontroversial:

  • The committee comprises twelve members.
  • The committee consists of twelve members.
  • The committee is composed of twelve members.
  • The committee includes twelve members. — but note this implies there may be more.
  • Twelve members make up the committee.

Comprises and consists of both imply the list is complete. Includes does not. That distinction is worth more than the argument about is comprised of, and almost nobody makes it deliberately.

Constitute runs the same direction as compose: the parts constitute the whole. Twelve members constitute a quorum.

Watch out for it in a different sense: that constitutes a breach of contract means amounts to, not is made up of. Same word, unrelated job.

The practical answer

If you can remember which direction comprise runs, use it — it is compact and precise.

If you cannot, use consists of. It runs the same direction, takes the of without objection, and nobody has ever argued about it.

Checked against Merriam-Webster, the Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook. Spotted an error? Tell us — see our editorial policy.

Nathan Cole writes the adjective guides and word lists on Grammar Simplified. Every guide he publishes is checked against Merriam-Webster for spelling and usage, the Chicago Manual of Style for punctuation, and the AP Stylebook where a convention is specific to web writing. Where a rule is genuinely disputed among those authorities, he says so in the guide rather than picking a side quietly. Corrections are welcome and get acted on — see the editorial policy.

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