must be comprised of

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "must be comprised of" is not correct in standard English; the correct form is "must comprise" or "must be composed of." You can use it when specifying the necessary components or elements that make up a whole.
Example: "The committee must be comprised of at least five members with diverse expertise."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

The 13% of people polled who actually approve of the job Congress is doing must be comprised of congressional members' relatives.

Huffington Post

The fort must be comprised of at least one object from every other room in the house, destroy any notions you had of desirable décor, and impede adults from safe passage from one room to another.

Huffington Post

In the short and near term, the citizens' rights movement must be comprised of cause-centered initiatives launched and sustained by individuals and groups of individuals on issues that matter to them and for a truly representative democracy.

Huffington Post

We partitioned the twelve complete genomes from five Streptococcus species (Table 1) into 1730 clusters of homologous gene sequences based on the requirement that a cluster must be comprised of more than three distinct sequences and meet a sequence similarity threshold of 50%.

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

The resulting populations must thus be comprised of groups of individuals that are highly related to one another, or even very often clonal.

Biology Direct

In discussing group differences, we must emphasize that our study population is comprised of patients with a severe disease pattern (52%: pain > 10 years).

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

Effective access to health care systems is comprised of three components, which must be equally adequate: care, timing, and location [ 15, 16].

Critical Care

In order to successfully invade in vivo, metastatic cells must first permeate the basal lamina barrier, which is comprised of specialized matrix proteins, prior to entering neighboring tissue.

BMC Cancer

The Army could easily be comprised of 5% women.

The New Yorker

The two prison teams are comprised of first-rate ballplayers who must meet eligibility requirements and try out for one of the teams.

Huffington Post

The signal must be periodic, namely it is a signal that is comprised of oscillations repeating in time, with positive and negative alterations [ 69].

Critical Care

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Prefer "must comprise" or "must be composed of" for grammatical correctness. Using "must comprise" directly avoids the passive voice.

Common error

Avoid using "comprised of" altogether. Many writers incorrectly use this phrase when they should use "comprises" (active voice) or "is composed of" (passive voice). For example, instead of "The team must be comprised of five members", use "The team must comprise five members" or "The team must be composed of five members."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "must be comprised of" functions as a predicate specifying the composition or constitution of a subject. Although it's often used to indicate what elements are included within a whole, Ludwig AI analysis shows that this usage is grammatically incorrect.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

40%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "must be comprised of" is used to describe the composition of something, it's generally considered grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI analysis confirms this. The preferred alternatives are "must comprise" (active voice) or "must be composed of" (passive voice). Usage occurs in news, media, and scientific contexts, but due to its grammatical issues, it's best to avoid this phrase in formal writing. Remember to use "must comprise" or "must be composed of" for clarity and correctness.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

must be composed of

Replaces "comprised of" with the more grammatically sound "composed of", maintaining the meaning of being made up of.

must consist of

Substitutes "comprised of" with "consist of", offering a grammatically correct and direct alternative that means to be made up of.

must be made up of

Offers a more verbose but equally valid way of expressing composition, emphasizing the act of being formed from components.

must be formed of

Emphasizes the process of formation or creation from constituent parts.

must include

Focuses on the inclusion of specific elements, rather than the overall composition.

must contain

Highlights the presence of certain elements within the whole, shifting the focus from overall structure to included parts.

must integrate

Emphasizes combining elements into a functional whole, rather than simply being composed of them.

must encompass

Indicates that the subject must completely include or surround certain elements or aspects.

must incorporate

Implies that the subject must integrate or include specific elements or features as part of its structure or function.

must embody

Suggests that the subject must represent or exemplify certain characteristics or qualities.

FAQs

Is it correct to say "must be comprised of"?

No, the phrase "must be comprised of" is generally considered grammatically incorrect. The correct phrasing is "must comprise" or "must be composed of". According to Ludwig AI, "must be comprised of" is not correct in standard English.

What's the difference between "must comprise" and "must be composed of"?

"Must comprise" is in the active voice, directly stating what something includes. "Must be composed of" is in the passive voice, emphasizing that something is formed from certain components. Both are grammatically correct alternatives to the incorrect "must be comprised of".

What can I use instead of "must be comprised of"?

You can use alternatives like "must be composed of", "must consist of", or simply "must comprise", depending on the desired emphasis and context.

How do I correctly use "comprise" in a sentence?

Use "comprise" to indicate that something includes or contains other things. For example, "The committee must comprise members from various departments". Avoid using "comprise of"; it's generally considered incorrect. Use "be composed of" instead.