Why ‘about’ Can Follow ‘comprise’ in Sentences Like ‘This comprised about 5 percent of…’

In English grammar, ‘comprise’ is typically used as a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object. However, in sentences like ‘This comprised about 5 percent of…,’ it might seem unusual to have ‘about’ immediately follow it. In this article, we will explore why this construction works and how ‘about’ functions in such sentences.

Understanding the Usage of ‘Comprise’

‘Comprise’ generally means ‘to consist of’ or ‘to be made up of.’ It is used to describe the whole being formed by specific parts. For example, ‘The team comprises five members.’ In this case, ‘five members’ is the direct object of ‘comprise.’

However, when we say something like ‘This comprised about 5 percent of the total,’ ‘about’ modifies the percentage, indicating an approximate value, rather than functioning as part of a prepositional phrase. The use of ‘about’ after ‘comprise’ is grammatically acceptable because ‘comprise’ here functions similarly to other verbs that describe a quantity or measurement.

Why ‘About’ Can Follow ‘Comprise’

In the sentence ‘This comprised about 5 percent of…,’ ‘comprise’ is still used transitively. The direct object is ‘5 percent,’ and ‘about’ serves to give an approximation of that percentage. In English, it’s common to use approximations like ‘about,’ ‘around,’ or ‘approximately’ when dealing with numbers or percentages. These modifiers do not disrupt the sentence’s structure but instead provide additional information about the accuracy of the statement.

Examples of Similar Usage

Here are some similar examples where ‘about’ follows a transitive verb like ‘comprise’:

• ‘The committee comprises about 20 members.’
• ‘The report comprised about 10 pages.’
• ‘This section comprises about half of the document.’

In each of these examples, ‘about’ directly modifies the numerical value (e.g., 20 members, 10 pages, half) and clarifies that the exact number is not precise.

Conclusion

The reason ‘about’ can follow ‘comprise’ in sentences like ‘This comprised about 5 percent of…’ is because ‘comprise’ is used transitively with the direct object being the quantity or percentage, and ‘about’ acts as a modifier to show approximation. This construction is grammatically correct and commonly used when expressing approximations in English.