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Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th
constitute
con·sti·tute AW [constitute constitutes constituted constituting] BrE [ˈkɒnstɪtjuːt] NAmE [ˈkɑːnstətuːt] verb (formal) 1. linking verb + noun (not used in the progressive tenses)to be considered to be sth •Does such an activity constitute a criminal offence? •The increase in racial tension constitutes a threat to our society. •His action was interpreted as constituting a threat to the community. 2. linking verb + noun (not used in the progressive tenses)to be the parts that together form sth Syn: ↑make up •Female workers constitute the majority of the labour force. 3. transitive, usually passive ~ sth to form a group legally or officially Syn: ↑establish, Syn: ↑set up •The committee was constituted in 1974 by an Act of Parliament. Verb forms: Word Origin: late Middle English: from Latin constitut- ‘established, appointed’, from the verb constituere, from con- ‘together’ + statuere ‘set up’. Synonyms: consist of sb/sth comprise • make up sth • constitute • be composed of sb/sth These words all mean to be formed from the things or people mentioned, or to be the parts that form sth. consist of sb/sth • to be formed from the things, people or activities mentioned: ▪ Their diet consists largely of vegetables. comprise • (rather formal) to be formed from the things or people mentioned: ▪ The collection comprises 327 paintings. Comprise can also be used to refer to the parts or members of sth: ▪ Older people comprise a large proportion of those living in poverty. However, this is less frequent. make up sth • (rather informal) to be the parts or people that form sth: ▪ Women make up 56% of the student numbers. constitute • to be the parts or people that form sth: ▪ People under the age of 40 constitute the majority of the labour force. be composed of sb/sth • (rather formal) to be formed from the things or people mentioned: ▪ Around 15% of our diet is composed of protein. which word? Consist of sb/sth is the most general of these words and the only one that can be used for activities with the -ing form of a verb: ▪ My work at that time just consisted of typing letters. The other main difference is between those verbs that take the whole as the subject and the parts as the object: ▪ The group consists of/comprises/is made up of/is composed of ten people. and those that take the parts as the subject and the whole as the object: ▪ Ten people make up/constitute/comprise the group. It is not correct to use ‘comprises of’ or ‘is composed by/from’. Example Bank: •The census constitutes the principal source of official statistics. •The committee ruled that the US ban constituted an infringement of free trade. •The conference in itself constitutes a solid achievement. •This action constitutes a violation of international law. •This constitutes a threat/danger/crime/breach/nuisance/weakness/nuisance/refusal. •People under the age of 40 constitute the majority of the labour force.
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