Consist of or on or both ????

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ESL forum > Grammar and Linguistics > Consist of or on or both ????

Consist of or on or both ????

eliana

Consist of or on or both ????

What is the right preposition for this verb?

CONSISTS

of or on or both?

Thanks

11 Nov 2010

eliana

I forgot to say that I �m pretty sure we can use either of or in but never on. I would like to have an answer from a native speaker, please. A colleague of mine posed this problem and she doesn �t believe me :))) so I just want a confirmation, please:)

Thank you

11 Nov 2010

According to this http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/consist "on" is not correct ...

11 Nov 2010

MoodyMoody

As an American English speaker, I would NEVER use "consists on." I �ve never even heard of on being used. I �d always use "consists of." If there are past�is de nata riding on this bet, you win!

11 Nov 2010

dutchboydvh

From an American point of view, I would always say �consist of � because you are making a list. I can �t think of a time when i �d say consist on... or even consist in. :-)

11 Nov 2010

franknbea

Consists of is the only correct answer

never consists on or even consists in.

And I �d like some of those pasteis de nata, por favor

11 Nov 2010

http://www.eslprintables.com/forum/topic.asp?id=19928

11 Nov 2010

Consist of: to be formed from the things or people mentioned
Consist in (formal): to have something as the main or only part or feature.
(http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/consist)
You definitely can �t say consist on, though.

11 Nov 2010

sadek

Dear Eliana,

I checked my dictionary the "Longman Dictionary of American English" it is mentioned that the verb "consist" is followed by of which means to be made of or contain a number of different things. By the way , on or both aren�t mentioned which I am quite sure are incorrect.

Good luck !!

Sadek

11 Nov 2010

ldthemagicman

Dear Eliana,

Here in the UK I would use �consist of �; and in certain situations, �consist in �.

Oxford English Dictionary

CONSIST: verb, no object.

1) (consist of) be composed of or made up of: the crew consists of five men.

� (consist in) have as an essential feature: his poetry consists in the use of creative language.

2) (consist with) archaic be consistent with: the information perfectly consists with our friend �s account.

I don �t think that I have ever heard an educated person use �consist on �.

I hope that this helps you.

Por favor, �podr�as darme una buena taza de caf� tambi�n?

Les

11 Nov 2010

Jayho

I primarily use �consist of� but �consist in� is sometimes the better option depending on context. I can�t explain why. If you google �consist of� you will see lots of examples of usage. Do the same with �consist in� and you will also see examples but far fewer. Using �consist of� is a safer bet.

�Consist on� is definitely not correct.

... en heb ik enn kopje thee

Cheers

Jayho

11 Nov 2010