Monday, February 23, 2009

The difference between 'comprise' and 'consist' in usage

The two words 'consist' and 'comprise' mean the same thing, meaning 'is / are made up of'. There is a difference in usage though. The word 'comprise' takes no preposition after it whereas 'consist' is followed by the preposition 'of'.

The following sentences which carry the same meaning will make it clear to readers.
1 Our study group comprises eight members.
2 Our study group consists of eight members.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

But explain about the difference in their meaning according to specified situations

TH Yeoh said...

If your team has ten members, then you can either say 'My team consists of ten members.' or 'My team comprises ten members.'. Both sentences mean exactly the same thing. You can take it to mean my team is made up of ten members.