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comprise

/kəmˈpraɪz//kəmˈpraɪz/·verb
to consist of; to be made up of specified parts
Fig. 1 — The train rolls in as one thing and stops.
01Definition

To comprise is to contain as parts: the whole comprises the pieces that combine to make it. The United Kingdom comprises four nations; a standard chess set comprises thirty-two pieces. From Latin comprehendere, 'to grasp together', the verb runs in one direction — the whole is the subject, the parts are the object — and it needs no preposition: a fleet comprises ships, never 'comprises of' them. Its mirror twin is compose, which runs the other way: the parts compose the whole. Keeping that one-way traffic straight is most of what mastering the word amounts to.

02In use
  • iThe training course comprises six units, arranged in a fixed sequence.
  • iiThe archipelago comprises more than three hundred islands, most of them uninhabited.
  • iiiA full orchestra comprises four families of instruments, from strings to percussion.
03Collocations
  • comprises four parts
  • the committee comprises
  • comprising a wide range
  • the whole comprises
  • comprises the majority

Family comprising (participle)

04Relations

=consist of, contain, be made up of, incorporate, encompass

≠exclude, omit

06TOEFL & IELTS

A precision instrument for IELTS Task 1 and academic description: 'the survey comprises three sections' outclasses 'has'. Two traps decide your mark. First, direction: the whole comprises the parts (the parts compose or make up the whole). Second, the famous 'comprised of': 'the panel is comprised of experts' is extremely common and still criticised in careful writing — in an exam essay, write 'comprises' or 'is composed of' and stay above the argument. The active verb never takes 'of'.

07Asked
Is 'comprised of' wrong?
It is established but still criticised. 'The committee is comprised of specialists' appears constantly in print, and dictionaries record it — yet style guides and usage panels have objected for a century, since comprise already means 'consist of', making 'of' redundant. The safe course in academic or exam writing: 'the panel comprises experts' or 'is composed of experts'. You will rarely be marked down for avoiding a fight.
What is the difference between comprise and compose?
Direction of travel. The whole comprises its parts: the alliance comprises twelve states. The parts compose the whole: twelve states compose the alliance. They describe the same relationship from opposite ends, which is exactly why they get swapped. If your subject is the big thing, comprise; if your subject is the pieces, compose or make up.
Is it 'comprise of' or just 'comprise'?
Just comprise — the active verb takes a direct object and no preposition: the kit comprises a manual and two cables. 'The kit comprises of...' is an error in every register, produced by contamination from 'consists of'. If your hand insists on writing 'of', switch verbs and write 'consists of' — that phrasing is impeccable and means the same thing.
Does the whole comprise the parts, or the parts comprise the whole?
The whole comprises the parts — the traditional, exam-safe rule. In the scene above, the train comprises its five units, never the other way round. Usage is drifting — 'these species comprise the genus' does appear in journals — but careful editors still correct it. Keep the big thing in the subject seat and the rule holds itself.
What is the difference between comprise and include?
Completeness. Comprise presents the full inventory: a triathlon comprises three events — that is all of them. Include may name only a sample: the festival includes fireworks (among other things). Choosing comprise therefore makes a stronger claim, which is why definitions and technical specifications prefer it, and why using it for a partial list quietly misleads your reader.
Is comprise formal enough for academic writing?
It is exactly the register academic writing wants — institutional style guides legislate its correct use rather than banning it, which tells you it belongs there. It thrives in descriptions of structure: corpora, datasets, federations, syllabuses. The one thing formality will not forgive is the direction error, so pair the word with a quick self-check: could I replace it with 'consists of'? If yes, it is being used correctly.