Comprised vs Composed | Difference & Correct Use
The verb comprise means “to be made up of.” The verb compose also means “to be made up of” when used in the passive voice with “of.” The important thing to remember is that “is/are comprised of” is considered incorrect.
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The QuillBot Paraphraser can help you rewrite sentences to express yourself clearly.
Is comprised of correct?
Although “is/are comprised of” is commonly used in everyday speech and writing, many style guides and grammarians classify it as a mistake and recommend using “comprises/comprise” instead. This is because using the passive construction “it is comprised of” instead of “it comprises” is unnecessarily complex and introduces verbiage.
To avoid “is/are comprised of,” you can replace it with “comprises/comprise” or “is/are composed of” (not “compose/composes”).
- The executive board is comprised of five members.
- The executive board comprises five members.
- The executive board is composed of five members.
- The executive board composes five members.
- Our training programs are comprised of practical and theoretical components.
- Our training programs comprise practical and theoretical components.
- Our training programs are composed of practical and theoretical components.
- Our training programs compose practical and theoretical components.
A QuillBot Grammar Check can also help ensure you’re using these forms correctly.
Consist of
Another way of correcting the mistake “comprises of” is to replace it with “consists of,” which also means “to be made up of.”
Our itinerary mainly consisted of walks and visits to the local attractions.
- The policy is comprising several elements.
- The policy comprises several elements.
- The groups were being composed of employees from all departments.
- The groups were composed of employees from all departments.
- The products are consisting of organic ingredients.
- The products consist of organic ingredients.
Compose or comprise (active voice)
The difference between the verbs “compose” and “comprise” when used in the active voice to describe the parts/elements of something is that “the parts of something compose the whole of it” whereas “the whole of something comprises its parts.”
However, the verb “compose” is rarely used in the active voice to mean “make up/constitute”, especially in everyday speech and writing. For instance, instead of “Ten chapters compose the book,” we would normally use the passive voice and say, “The book is composed of ten chapters.”
In the active voice, “compose” usually means “to create/produce” (e.g., “She composes songs on her guitar”).
Writers sometimes use “compose” rather than “is/are composed of” in formal/technical contexts to put complex or new information at the end of the sentence to improve readability.
In fact, people with a college education composed only 30% of the workforce in this industry.
Frequently asked questions about comprised vs composed
- What is a synonym of compose?
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Synonyms of the verb compose when it means “to create/formulate” include:
- Write
- Conceive
- Design
Synonyms of the verb “compose” when it means “to make up” (e.g., “The ten states compose the country”) include:
- Form
- Constitute
Synonyms for the verb “compose” when used in the passive voice to mean “to be made up of” (e.g., “The country is composed of ten states”) include:
- Comprise
- Consist of
Use the QuillBot Paraphraser to find synonyms for “compose” that fit your specific context.
