have been comprised

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "have been comprised" is not correct in standard English usage.
The correct term is "have comprised," which means to consist of or be made up of. Example: "The committee has comprised members from various departments to ensure diverse perspectives."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

11 human-written examples

It was unclear what information might have been comprised, how many agents were affected and if other union officials knew about the situation.

The New York Times

Were Liam Lawrence an inch taller, Stoke's side would have been comprised solely of six-footers, and Pardew was forced to rethink his selection.

The Guardian - Sport

Manufacturing industries as a dominant sector at industrial sector have been comprised of 22 subsectors.

Journal of Economic Structures

The drop appears to have been comprised of both a decline in new arrivals and an increase in departures from the USA (Passel et al. 2012).

IZA Journal of Migration

The possible mechanically stable stress conditions in different stress regimes have been comprised by Zoback et al. ([2003]) to the so-called stress polygon.

Geothermal Energy

Most of ZeekRewards' total revenues and the "net profits" paid to investors have been comprised of funds received from new investors in classic Ponzi scheme fashion," the SEC claims.

Forbes

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

49 human-written examples

The firm had been comprised of three lines of businesses: gear for telecom operators, large enterprises and smaller businesses.

The Economist

Whence the PBA got spun a variety of different copycat groups, such as the Junior American Protestant Association, and the United American Mechanics, later changed to Loyal Knights of America, with the latter having been comprised entirely of Protestant Irish.

University of California, Berkeley

In the event that his account had been comprised by a third party, terminating his account in this way is certainly an extreme response.

TechCrunch

Every team to have competed in a World Championship final since 2013 has been comprised entirely of players from Hong Kong, China or South Korean and every finalist since 2015 has been South Korean.

BBC

It is no wonder that Alpha's membership has been comprised of luminaries like W.E.B.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When aiming for clarity and grammatical precision, replace "have been comprised" with "have comprised", "have consisted of", or "have been composed of".

Common error

Avoid using "have been comprised". The verb 'comprise' already means 'to consist of', so using it in the passive voice with 'been' is grammatically incorrect and creates redundancy. Instead, use the active voice ('The group has comprised...') or rephrase.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "have been comprised" functions as a passive verb phrase, but its use is generally considered grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI indicates that the correct usage is "have comprised" or alternatives like "have been composed of" or "have consisted of".

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

40%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

While the phrase "have been comprised" appears in various sources, including news and scientific publications, it's generally considered grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI suggests using the active voice form "have comprised" or alternatives like "have been composed of" or "have consisted of" for better accuracy. When writing, especially in formal contexts, it's best to avoid "have been comprised" and opt for grammatically sound alternatives to ensure clarity and precision. The phrase's presence across different sources indicates its common misuse, highlighting the importance of understanding its correct form and appropriate substitutes.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

have consisted of

This alternative directly replaces "comprised" with "consisted of", indicating the elements that make up something.

have been composed of

This alternative uses "composed of" to express the parts something is made of, similar to "comprised".

have been made up of

This alternative is a more informal way of saying "composed of", suitable for less formal contexts.

have been constituted by

This is a more formal version of "composed of", often used in legal or official contexts.

have included

This focuses on what was included as part of a whole, rather than the entirety of its composition.

have contained

This suggests that something holds or includes certain elements within it.

have been formed by

This emphasizes the process by which something came to be constituted of certain parts.

have incorporated

This suggests that elements have been integrated or included within something.

have embodied

This indicates that something represents or includes certain qualities or characteristics.

have encompassed

This implies that something includes a wide range of elements or aspects.

FAQs

What is the correct way to use "comprise"?

The word "comprise" means 'to consist of' or 'to include'. Therefore, the correct usage is in the active voice, such as 'The committee "comprises" members from different departments'.

Is "comprised of" grammatically correct?

While commonly used, "comprised of" is often considered less formal and sometimes discouraged in formal writing. It's usually better to use "comprises" or alternatives like "consists of" or "is composed of".

What can I use instead of "have been comprised"?

Instead of "have been comprised", you can use phrases such as "have comprised", "have consisted of", or "have been composed of" to express the same idea with better grammatical accuracy.

Which is correct, "comprise" or "compose"?

"Comprise" means to include or contain; "compose" means to create or form. The parts compose the whole, and the whole comprises the parts. For example, 'The orchestra is composed of many instruments' and 'The orchestra comprises strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion'.