make up a total of

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase 'make up a total of' is correct and can be used in written English.
You can use it when you are talking about the sum of several items, such as in the example sentence: "The five pieces of furniture in the office make up a total of $5,000."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

Of this salt content, carbon as bicarbonate constitutes 58 parts, or 48 percent, and calcium, sulfur as sulfate, and silicon as dissolved monomeric silicic acid make up a total of about 39 parts, or 33 percent.

Encyclopedia Britannica

20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 images are alternatively selected from the images taken by each of the 25 cameras in (mathcal {D}_{1}) to make up a total of 1000 images.

EURASIP Journal on Image and Video Processing

Because of our limited programming skills, we chose to only work with those three variables, which make up a total of 70 different combinations, each with its own corresponding painting".

Vice

Dilution buffer was added to each tube to make up a total of 10 ml in each.

Breast Cancer Research

As such, we run 7 cycles for each one of the five primers to make up a total of 35 bp sequence length.

BMC Systems Biology

In this yeast, the genetic code is decoded by 42 different tRNA families that make up a total of 274 tRNA genes (Chan and Lowe, 2009).

eLife

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

53 human-written examples

Officially, Funai recognises the existence of 14 uncontacted tribes in the Vale do Javari, making up a total of at least 2,000 people.

The Guardian

They made up a total of 254 respondents.

Pastoralism

At a glance, I can see that I've been to 671 places across 77 categories, making up a total of 1,277 check-ins.

TechCrunch

In addition, 7∼10 plants of Japonica rice cultivars (pure lines) coexisting in the same fields were also sampled from each of the 11 sites, making up a total of 106 rice plants from the sampled sites.

Plosone

As a result, another three schools were randomly selected and invited, which made up a total of 24 schools.

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "make up a total of", ensure that the components being summed are clearly defined to avoid ambiguity. For example, specify which items are included in the calculation.

Common error

Avoid using incorrect prepositions after "total". The correct form is "make up a total of", not "make up a total in" or "make up a total at".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "make up a total of" functions as a verb phrase indicating the composition of a sum or quantity. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is grammatically correct and serves to express how different elements combine to form a whole, as demonstrated in various examples.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

62%

News & Media

32%

Encyclopedias

6%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "make up a total of" is a grammatically sound and commonly used expression, as affirmed by Ludwig AI, that describes how several components combine to form a specific sum or quantity. Predominantly found in scientific and news-related contexts, its neutral register makes it suitable for both formal and informal communication. When employing this phrase, it is important to ensure clarity in defining the components being summed. Alternatives like "constitute a total of" and "amount to a total of" can be used to add variety to writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

constitute a total of

Replaces "make up" with "constitute", emphasizing the composition of the total.

comprise a total of

Similar to "constitute a total of", indicating the inclusion of elements within a whole.

amount to a total of

Substitutes "make up" with "amount to", focusing on the final sum or quantity.

add up to a total of

Uses "add up to" instead of "make up", highlighting the process of summation.

form a total of

Replaces "make up" with "form", stressing the creation of a total from its parts.

equate to a total of

Emphasizes that the combined elements are equivalent to a certain amount.

represent a total of

Substitutes "make up" with "represent", indicating that the parts are symbolic of the total.

compose a total of

Uses "compose" instead of "make up", emphasizing the elements that contribute to the whole.

build up to a total of

Focuses on the incremental accumulation resulting in a final sum.

total

A shorter version that gets rid of "make up a total of" and can be used only if the verb is implicit from the context.

FAQs

How can I use "make up a total of" in a sentence?

Use "make up a total of" to describe how several items or components combine to create a specific sum. For example, "The ingredients for the cake "make up a total of" 500 grams".

What's a formal alternative to "make up a total of"?

In formal writing, you can use phrases like "constitute a total of" or "amount to a total of" as alternatives to "make up a total of".

Is it correct to say "making up to a total of"?

While "making up" is part of the phrase, the correct structure is "making up a total of". Adding "to" is redundant.

What is the difference between "add up to" and "make up a total of"?

"Add up to" emphasizes the process of summation, while "make up a total of" describes the composition of a total from its constituent parts. They are often interchangeable but have slightly different connotations.