contain of

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "contain of" is not correct in written English.
The correct phrase would be "contain" or "consist of." You can use this phrase when describing what something is composed of, or what is included in a particular group. For example, "This box contains a variety of office supplies."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

23 human-written examples

They contain, of course, unclosed terms that need to be modelled.

Combustion and Flame

Typically they contain of the order of 103 molecules and are between about 4 and 10 nm in size.

Chemical Engineering Science

The samples studied contain of the order of 250 300 atoms with densities in the range 2.78 3.12 g/cm3.

Carbon

The most poignant feature of these diaries is the evidence they contain of the diarist trying to feel, but forced to confess to an inability to do so.

The New York Times - Books

Various proposals of this sort are already floating around Congress, and a number of big corporations, including coal-fired utilities, have publicly asked the government for such an approach.So what exactly does Mr Bush's policy contain of substance?

The Economist

The models with high aspect ratio show, in general, more uniform current distributions, with the higher maximum and minimum intensity values, temperature distributions with smaller gradients and a superior contain of water in the membrane, which allows to obtain a higher performance.

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

37 human-written examples

The show contains of a series of sculptural diptychs.

Forbes

Mamilla Mall contains of retail space.

Wikipedia

All of these contain plenty of DNA.

The Guardian

The blocks contain traces of volcanic ash.

The New York Times - Arts

Some contain sacs of various pigments.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "contain of". Instead, use "contain" followed directly by the object, or use "consist of" to indicate composition.

Common error

A common mistake is adding the preposition "of" after "contain". Remember that "contain" directly takes the object it includes, while "consist" requires "of".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "contain of" is grammatically incorrect and does not function as a standard phrase in English. Ludwig AI identifies it as an error, suggesting the correct usage should either be "contain" or "consist of".

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

Science

0%

News & Media

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Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

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News & Media

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Formal & Business

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Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "contain of" is grammatically incorrect in English. As Ludwig AI confirms, the proper usage is either "contain", followed directly by the object, or "consist of" to indicate composition. Due to its incorrectness, the phrase is unsuitable for any formal context and should be avoided in professional, academic, and even neutral settings. Alternatives such as "consist of", "include", and "comprise" should be used instead to accurately convey the intended meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

consist of

Emphasizes the components or elements that make up something.

comprise

Indicates what something is made up of, similar to "consist of".

include

Highlights the presence of certain items or elements within a larger group.

be composed of

Stresses the act of being formed or created from specific elements.

incorporate

Suggests that something is integrated or included as part of a whole.

hold

Implies that something physically or conceptually contains something else.

encompass

Suggests a comprehensive inclusion of elements.

accommodate

Focuses on the capacity to contain or include.

embrace

Implies a welcoming or comprehensive inclusion.

feature

Highlights the presence of specific attributes or components.

FAQs

What is the correct way to use "contain" in a sentence?

The word "contain" should be followed directly by the object it includes. For example, "This box contains books" is correct, while "This box contains of books" is incorrect.

What can I use instead of the incorrect phrase "contain of"?

You can use alternatives like "consist of", "include", or "comprise" to express the idea of something being made up of certain elements.

Is it ever correct to use "of" after "contain"?

No, it is grammatically incorrect to use "of" directly after "contain". The verb "contain" does not require a preposition to connect it to its object.

Which is correct: "The recipe contains nuts" or "The recipe contains of nuts"?

The correct sentence is "The recipe contains nuts". The verb "contain" does not need the preposition "of". It directly takes the object that is being contained.