AmerEnglishLive Free / Speak Free

PRESENTS

“Be Made Of” or “Be Made From”

What is the basic difference between "made of" and "made from." Both expressions are used in English. For instance, "This chair is made of wood," and "Cream is made from milk." Though the question is quite simple, people often confuse the two expressions. How do we differentiate them and what is the rule or logic behind their use?

Rules

Examples

Exercises

The Rules

If something keeps its form, we use 'made of‘ ♥ Use ‘made of’ when the original materials have not been

completely changed and you can still see them. “Their dining table is made of solid oak”

But if the form is changed during the process of making, then we use 'made from'.♥Use ‘made from’ when the original materials have been completely changed and cannot be recognized.”Bread is made from flour and water”

Examples "made of"

Chairs are made of wood.Here, wood is still wood. It doesn't transform into something else.

The house is made of bricks. [They are still bricks.]

Most things seem to be made of plastic these days.

"This shirt is made of cotton" "This house is made of bricks" OR "The keyboard I use on my computer is made of plastic."

The cotton in the shirt is still cotton - it hasn't changed its form and become something else. In the same way, the bricks in the walls of the house - they're still bricks. They didn't stop being bricks when the house was made. And the plastic in my computer keyboard is still plastic.

"made from." Paper is made from wood. (NOT "Paper is made of wood.")My mother makes wine from blackberries.

"Wine is made from grapes." The grapes are no longer grapes - they've been changed into a different type of stuff - a different type of substance - in this case, wine.

“The paper is made from trees." These trees are not trees anymore - they stopped being trees when they became paper.

"This cake is made from all natural ingredients." And the flour and the eggs and the sugar in the example about the cake; these have all changed their forms as well when they became cake.

"Paper is made from trees." "Wine is made from grapes." OR "This cake is made from all natural ingredients."

Exercises

1. Shampoo bottles and washing-up liquid both come in

bottles.

2. Most wine bottles are made of green, brown or clear .

3. Most people wear shoes with uppers, but plastic

soles. The most expensive shoes also have leather soles.

4. The characters in Madame Tussaud's are made of .

Choose between: | cardboard | glass | leather | metal | plastic | rubber | wax | wood

4. wax

1. plastic

2. glass3. leather

Check Answers

5. Today most yachts are made of fiber glass, but they used to be made of .

6. A few cars are made of fiber glass, but most are made of .

7. Car tires are made of .

8. Cornflakes and other breakfast cereals come in boxes.

Choose between: | cardboard | glass | leather | metal | plastic | rubber | wax | wood

5. wood

8. cardboard

7. Rubber

6. metal

Check Answers

Candle

Bowl Bucket

Bottle

Check Answers

Check Answers

Brief Case

Microphone

Notebook

Coat HangerBox

Sword

Check Answers

Comb

Bag

Nails

Shoes

Chair

Mittens

The candle is made of wax leather paper wood metal plastic glass wool

The bucket is made of wax leather paper wood metal plastic glass wool

The bowl is made of wax leather paper wood metal plastic glass wool Check Answers

The bottle is made of wax leather paper wood metal plastic glass wool

The briefcase is made of wax leather paper wood metal plastic glass wool

The coat hanger is made of

wax leather paper wood metal plastic glass wool

Check Answers

The notebook is made of wax leather paper wood metal plastic glass wool

The box is made of wax leather paper wood metal plastic glass wool

The microphone is made of

wax leather paper wood metal plastic glass wool

Check Answers

The comb is made of wax leather paper wood metal plastic glass wool

The bag is made of wax leather paper wood metal plastic glass wool

The sword is made of wax leather paper wood metal plastic glass wool

Check Answers

The mittens are made of wax leather paper wood metal plastic glass wool

The chair is made of wax leather paper wood metal plastic glass wool

Check Answers

The nails are made of wax leather paper wood metal plastic glass wool

The shoes are made of wax leather paper wood metal plastic glass wool

Check Answers

Look at the example and write.

The candle is made of wax.

The bucket is made of plastic.

The bowl is made of metal.

The bottler is made of glass.

Check Answers

Check Answers

The briefcase is made of leather. The coat hanger is made of plastic.

The box is made of wood.The microphone is made of plastic and metal.

Check Answers

The notebook is made of paper and metal. The sword is made of metal.

The bag is made of paper. The comb is made of plastic.

Check Answers

The mittens are made of wool. The chair are made of wood.

The shoes are made of leather. The nails are made of metal.

Thank you and have a wonderful day!