by Carolynn Carey
I’ve discovered over the years that some “rules” in English are nearly impossible for me to remember. I suspect that’s because they don’t seem particularly logical. For example, I rarely recall details of the rule related to the words “compose” and “comprise.”
Do you ever read a sentence similar to the following: “The group was comprised of five women and six men”? If so, are you aware that “comprise” as used in that sentence is considered poor usage? According to The Chicago Manual of Style, “the phrase comprised of, though increasingly common, is poor usage. Instead, use composed of or consisting of.”
In Follett’s Modern American Usage, we find the following explanation:
“The whole comprises the parts;
The parts are comprised in the whole;
The whole is composed of its parts;
The parts compose the whole.”
Frankly, I prefer Robert Claiborne’s suggestion in Saying What You Mean. He thinks we should drop the word “comprise” entirely and instead use the word “consist” rather than “comprise,” thus avoiding the question of when “comprise” should be used.
While I will continue trying to remember that the phrase “comprised of” is not good usage and that substituting “consisted of” or “composed of” is preferable, I’ll probably have to look the rule up again in the future. Sigh!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, thanks for sharing Carolynn! I believe comprised is a word most often found in scientific terms than every day use, right?
You’re probably right, Heather. As for me, I’m just avoiding the word altogether since I’d be certain to use it incorrectly if I used it at all. LOL