ENGLISH
REFERENCE

be made of sth

fixed phr..
A2 Elementary Oxford

fixed phr.. This phrase tells you what material something is created from. For example, a chair can be made of wood.

fixed phr.. A passive verb construction used to state the constituent material of an object.


SIMPLE

This table is made of wood.

CONTEXTUAL

She bought a beautiful ring that was made of pure silver.

COMPLEX

The ancient statue, which was surprisingly well-preserved, was made of a rare type of marble quarried nearby.

Usage

Use 'made of' when you can still see the original material in the final object.

Teaching tip

Contrast 'made of' (material is unchanged, e.g., a table of wood) with 'made from' (material is transformed, e.g., paper from wood) and 'made with' (one ingredient among many, e.g., a cake with flour).

Pitfall

This ring is made in gold.This ring is made of gold.Use the preposition 'of' to state the material something is composed of.

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