Confusing Words: Comprise (verb) and Compose (verb)
Meaning:
Comprise (consist of; be made up of.)
Compose (write or create (a work of art, especially music or poetry).)
Comprise vs Compose Clarification: Comprise and compose have different meanings that are closely related to each other, maybe, because they both function as a verb within sentences.
Comprise vs Compose – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?
English vocabulary often creates confusion among writers and speakers. So, we have to be very careful with word choice in order to make an error-free writing. Comprise vs. compose is one of the cases that has to be solved.
Comprise and compose are a few letters apart. They are very close in terms of their meanings. This is the reason for the confusion between them.
So, it is very important to keep them apart as, they are not interchangeable. Let us check out their definitions one by one.
Comprise
Comprise is used as a verb within a sentence. It means to contain or to consist of. For instance, ‘the web comprises ten categories’.
It means that something comprises the parts.
1. The book comprises three parts.
2. The Sultanate’s delegation, led by Ahmed bin Nasser Al Mahrzi, Minister of Tourism, comprises officials of the Ministry of Tourism and representatives of 38 tourism organisations and Oman Air. (Times of Oman)
Compose
Compose is used as a verb within a sentence. It means to form, create or to frame something as a whole. For instance, ‘ten categories compose the web.’
It means that the parts compose something.
1. Three parts compose the book.
2. Before I compose a piece, I walk around it several times, accompanied by myself. (Erik Satie)
Got the Difference?
It is clear from the above definitions that comprise and compose are two different words that cannot be interchangeable. Both of these words function as a verb within a sentence. However, to comprise means to contain whereas, to compose means to make or to frame.
Let us take the above (1) example, ‘the book comprises three parts.’ The example points out that the book (as a whole) consists of three (different) parts.
On the other hand, ‘three parts compose the book’ reveals that three (different) parts compose the (whole) book.
An Important Point
It is noted that some people are arguing on the phrase ‘is comprised of’, which is best to be avoided. The phrase ‘is comprised of’ is incorrect to be used within sentences. It does not make sense. For instance, ‘the book is comprised of three parts.’
However, you can use ‘is composed of’ instead of ‘is comprised of’. ‘Is composed of’ is an acceptable phrase and it does make sense within a sentence. For instance, the book ‘is composed of’ three parts.
What Did You Learn?
Comprise and compose have different meanings that are closely related to each other, maybe, because they both function as a verb within sentences. However, they cannot be interchangeable.
To comprise means to contain whereas, to compose means to make or to frame. Beside this, you should avoid using ‘is comprised of’, but you can use ‘is composed of’, which is an acceptable phrase.