Using passive voice
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Passive voice with possession verbs | page 3 of 3 |
Part-whole relationships
Possession verbs such as have, comprise, compose, consist and make up are used to represent relationships that can be glossed as "part-whole".
In its "part-whole" meaning, as in its "ownership" meaning, the verb have never occurs in passive clauses:
The programme has three major components …(SCMP 26/09/92)
The following is not possible:
Three major components are had by the programme …
The other "part-whole" verbs are used in ways that sometimes appear to be inconsistent and can often cause confusion for students.
With the verb compose, when active voice is used, the parts which compose the whole come first in subject position:
Proteins compose much of the substance of the body. (Bank of English)
parts whole
Compose is very commonly used in passive clauses. As might be expected, when passive voice is used the whole comes first and the parts come second:
Cellulase is composed of three enzymes. (SCMP 21/3/94)
whole parts
The phrasal verb make up is similar. In active voice, the parts come first in subject position and in passive voice the whole comes first:
Designer lines now make up more than half of turnover. (Bank of English)
parts whole
Every unit is made up of different nationalities. (Bank of English)
whole parts
However, note that in these examples of passive clauses involving the verbs compose
and make up, the parts normally follow the preposition of rather than by,
which is normally used before an agent 
. For this
reason, some teachers might prefer to treat both composed of and made up of
as adjective phrases following the linking verb be. For further information about this,
see 
Using passive voice: Passive voice
or be + adjective.
The verb comprise behaves rather oddly. The whole can come first both when active voice is used and when passive voice is used:
The fleet comprises 100 10-year-old double-decker buses ... (SCMP 5/6/92)
whole parts
The abdominal wall is comprised of four muscles ....(Bank of English)
whole parts
However, note that again the preposition of rather than by is used in the passive clause. So again some teachers might prefer to treat comprised of as an adjective phrase.
The verb consist is also a little odd. In fact, it is never used in passive voice clauses and in active clauses it is always followed by a preposition, usually of (and occasionally in):
The fleet now consists of 25 ships ... (SCMP 13/5/94)
whole parts
It is hardly surprising that students confuse these expressions and sometimes try to use phrases such as is consisted of and comprise of.
For further information about verbs describing part-whole relationships, see Representing being and having: Using have and other possession
verbs (p 9).
Part-whole relationships
