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REFERENCE

consist

v.
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //kənˈsɪst// con·sist Academic Archaic General-service

v. to be made of or formed from several different parts. You use this to describe what is inside something or how it is built.

v. to be composed or made up of specific elements or parts. Intransitive; almost exclusively followed by the preposition 'of'.


SIMPLE

The breakfast menu should consist of fruit, eggs, and toast.

CONTEXTUAL

The final exam will consist of fifty multiple-choice questions and one short essay.

COMPLEX

The atmosphere of the planet is thought to consist primarily of nitrogen and oxygen, with trace amounts of argon and carbon dioxide detected by the probe.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle French consister, from Latin consistō (“stand together, stop, become hard or solid, agree with, continue, exist”), from com- (“together”) + sistō (“I cause to stand, stand”).

Etymology 2

From consist (verb).

Usage

The verb is intransitive and requires the preposition 'of' before the noun phrase.

Pitfall

The team consists by five peopleThe team consists of five peopleConsist must be followed by the preposition 'of' when describing components.

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