Meaning trap
make up
form or be part of a whole
To combine together to create something, or to be a part of something larger.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To combine together to create something, or to be a part of something larger.
Another meaning of 'make up' is 'invent (a story, excuse, etc.)'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
Women make up more than half of the company's staff.
International students make up a significant part of the university population.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: Students make up of 60% of the audience.
Say: Students make up 60% of the audience.
'Make up' takes the proportion directly — no 'of' after 'make up'.
Which sounds natural?
Tap the one a native speaker would say.
'Make up' is the natural verb for forming a proportion of a whole; 'constitute approximately' is formal/statistical.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
make up + proportion
- half of
- the majority
- a large part of
- 10% of
Don't confuse it
Related
Other meanings and phrases to compare.
- make up (invent (a story, excuse, etc.)) — Another meaning of 'make up' is 'invent (a story, excuse, etc.)'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.