which are comprised of

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "which are comprised of" is often considered incorrect in formal written English.
It is typically used to describe the components or elements that make up a whole. Example: "The committee, which are comprised of experts in various fields, will meet next week."

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

The FDA usually follows the guidance of those committees, which are comprised of experts on various drugs and medical devices.

The Washington Post

The LFP particles are uniform mesoporous spindles, which are comprised of numerous single-crystal LFP nanocrystals.

Journal of Power Sources

SOC permits the utilization of large systems which are comprised of self-containing building blocks: services.

Telematics and Informatics

Recently, however, nanostructured solid state materials, which are comprised of two or more compositional or structural phases, have been considered.

International Journal of Inorganic Materials

Enterococcus faecalis FIC belongs to class III FIC proteins, which are comprised of a single FIC domain and carry an autoinhibitory glutamate in their C-terminal α-helix.

Nature

The carbohydrates in the biomass, which are comprised of oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen, can be broken down into a variety of chemicals, some of which are useful fuels.

The Guardian

Magnetic nanofluids (MNFs) are suspensions which are comprised of a non-magnetic base fluid and magnetic nanoparticles.

Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials

In the process, we establish several properties of the SLI class of networks, which are comprised of linearly independent networks joined together.

University of California, Berkeley

The Fortunoff Archive currently holds more than 4,400 testimonies, which are comprised of over 10,000 recorded hours of videotape.

Yale University

They begin the year by doing a series of orientation exercises with their learning teams, which are comprised of eight or nine first-year students.

Yale University

Solid-state drives, or S.S.D., which are comprised of microchips and have no moving parts, easily cut the boot time in half.

The New York Times - Tech

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Prefer using grammatically standard alternatives like "which are composed of" or "which consist of" in formal writing to avoid potential criticism, while understanding that "which are comprised of" is widely used.

Common error

While common, the phrase "which are comprised of" is often flagged as technically incorrect. Instead, ensure that "comprise" means 'to consist of' and is used such that the whole comprises the parts, not the other way around. It's safer to use alternatives like "composed of" or "consist of".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "which are comprised of" functions as a relative clause modifying a noun or noun phrase. It serves to provide additional information about the composition or constituent elements of the noun it modifies. Ludwig provides various examples illustrating its usage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

47%

News & Media

28%

Academia

21%

Less common in

Formal & Business

4%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "which are comprised of" is used to describe the components of something, functioning as a relative clause. Despite its frequent usage across various domains like science, news, and academia, it's often considered grammatically incorrect. As Ludwig AI points out, safer alternatives include "which are composed of" or "which consist of", particularly in formal writing. Therefore, while understandable and common, writers should be aware of the potential for criticism and consider using alternatives for greater grammatical precision.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

which are composed of

This alternative uses "composed" instead of "comprised", offering a more standard grammatical construction.

which consist of

This option replaces "comprised" with "consist", providing a grammatically sound and commonly accepted substitute.

which are made up of

This alternative offers a more informal way to express the same idea, using the phrasal verb "made up of".

which include

This term denotes a listing of the components that make a whole.

which encompass

This option implies a broader scope, suggesting that the components form a comprehensive whole.

which contain

This substitute emphasizes the presence of certain elements within a larger entity.

which feature

This variant highlights specific characteristics or elements that are particularly noteworthy.

which are characterized by

This term emphasizes the key attributes or features that define the whole.

which incorporate

This option suggests that the components are integrated or blended into the whole.

which integrate

This expresses the same meaning as the phrase above but with the word "integrate".

FAQs

How can I use "which are comprised of" in a sentence?

You can use "which are comprised of" to describe the parts that make up a whole, like in "The team, which are comprised of experts, is ready to tackle the project.". However, be aware that some consider this usage technically incorrect.

What's a grammatically safer alternative to "which are comprised of"?

Alternatives like "which are composed of" or "which consist of" are generally considered grammatically correct and can be used in formal contexts.

Is it wrong to say "which are comprised of"?

While widely used, "which are comprised of" is often considered incorrect by grammarians. The verb "comprise" means 'to include' or 'to contain', so the parts comprise the whole, not the other way around. It's safer to use alternatives like "which are composed of".

What is the difference between "which are comprised of" and "which comprise"?

"Which are comprised of" is used to indicate what something is made of, whereas "which comprise" indicates what something includes. For instance, "The cake, which is comprised of flour, sugar, and eggs..." versus "The ingredients, which comprise flour, sugar, and eggs, make a cake." However, be mindful that using "comprised of" is often discouraged.