英语中有很多单词，它们有的发音相似但意思完全不同，如 bare 和 bear，principal 和 principle；有的发音不同但意思相似，effect 和 affect，advice 和 advise 等，还有如 comprise 和 compose，它们意思和拼写都相似，那么如何区分它们呢？
Comprise 意为“包括，包含，由…组成”，是正式用词，不用于进行时态，相当于 contain，也常用作 be comprised of，例如：✔: The house comprises ten rooms and three baths.❌: Ten rooms and three baths comprise the house.✔: The farm comprises ten cows, three horses, five sheep, and four pigs.❌: Ten cows, three horses, five sheep, and four pigs comprise the farm.✔: The collection comprises 327 paintings.❌: 327 paintings comprise the collection.The committee is comprised of representatives from both the public and private sectors.The course is comprised of ten lectures and five seminars on the theory of economics and banking.本课程由十次讲座和五次研讨会组成，内容涉及经济学和银行学理论。
1. Compose 意为”组成，构成（一个整体）“，不用于进行时态，相当于 combine 或 make up，也常用作 be composed of，例如：✔: Ten rooms and three baths compose the house.❌: The house composes ten rooms and three baths.✔: Ten cows, three horses, five sheep, and four pigs compose the farm.❌: Ten cows, three horses, five sheep, and four pigs comprise the farm.
327幅画组成这个画册。
✔: 327 paintings compose the collection.
❌: 327 paintings comprise the collection.
2. Compose 也常用被动语态 be composed of，例如：
The committee is composed mainly of lawyers.
委员会主要由律师组成。
Muscle is composed of different types of protein.
1. comprise 是整体包含部分，因此整体要放在前面；当用 contain 去替换 comprise 时，句子还是正确的，例如：
The class comprises 16 boys and 12 girls.解析：当用 contain 替换 comprise 时，句子变成 The class contains 16 boys and 12 girls，句子还是正确的。2. compose 是部分组成整体，因此部分要放在前面；当用 make up 替换 compose 时，句子还是正确的，例如：A total of 16 boys and 12 girls compose the class.解析：当用 make up 替换 compose 时，句子变成 A total of 16 boys and 12 girls make up the class，句子还是正确的。3. Be composed of 是非常正式的表达方式，但是有的人认为 be comprised of 是错误的，其理由可能是 comprise 相当于 include，那么 be comprised of 就相当于 be included of，很明显这显得很奇怪，甚至是错误的，因此在正式的场合中，优先使用主动态的 comprise.
1. 请用 comprise 或 compose 的正确形式完成下面句子The orchestra _____ brass, woodwind, percussion, and string instruments.Multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank and true/false questions _____ the final exam.My ideal garden _____ leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and okra.Going to parks, museums and caves _____ my perfect vacation.My ideal date _____ a gourmet meal and a moonlit walk on the beach.管弦乐队由铜管乐器、木管乐器、打击乐器和弦乐组成。
