Representing being and having
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Using have and other possession verbs | page 9 of 9 |
Verbs representing part-whole relationships
The notion of possession extends to part-whole relationships, ie where something is divided into its various components. Two of the most common verbs used for this are consist of and comprise:
University examinations are held in early May and consist of four three-hour written papers. (Bank of English)
The review board comprises a district court judge, a medical professional, a social worker and a lay member. (SCMP 21/9/92)
In the examples given above, the larger unit (or "whole") is the subject of the sentence. A special feature of comprise is that the components (or "parts") can also be the subject of the sentence. This is particularly common when percentages are involved:
The seven countries with the highest standards of living (the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Great Britain and Switzerland) comprise 10 per cent of the world's population. (Bank of English)
Another feature of comprise is that the "whole" may also be the subject of a passive voice sentence, followed by the preposition of:
One team is comprised of Lockheed, Boeing and General Dynamics.
(Bank of English)
Other verbs where the parts occur as the subject of the sentence include constitute and make up:
African-Americans constitute 37 per cent of all college football and 56 per cent of basketball players, but are only 12 per cent of the overall US population and a mere 4 per cent of undergraduates. (Bank of English)
According to Chinese Government forecasts, China will import 12 million tonnes of grain in the 1995 calendar year, including 10 million tonnes of wheat. Corn and barley make up the remaining 2 million tonnes. (Bank of English)
Make up is also common in passive voice, followed by the preposition of:
The family is made up of the Grandmother and her son, Bailey, and his children, John Wesley and June Star. (Bank of English)
For further information about using these verbs in passive voice, see 
Using passive voice: Passive voice with possession verbs.
Verbs representing part-whole relationships
