# Comprise/Compose Usage Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 30, 2004, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comprise-compose-usage-question/266882 "2004-09-30T17:38:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comprise-compose-usage-question/266882/1 "2004-09-30T17:38:42Z")
Am I wrong or is it incorrect to say something is comprised of a, b and c? Example #1: My sad little rock collection comprises a small piece of fancy jasper, a tiger’s eye, a bloodstone, a chunk of quartz and several pieces of feldspar. Example #2: Jim’s rock collection is comprised of two diamonds, an emerald, two sapphires, a topaz and a few garnets: his disposable income exceeds mine by a great deal. In the latter example, comprised should be replaced with composed, right? Lately, I’ve noticed the phrase ‘comprised of’ used more and more in everyday speech. Imagine my chagrin when I saw it in print! There it was, on the first page of text in _America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction_, mocking me. Oh, how it mocked me. So what’s the straight dope? I understand that language, for better or worse, evolves. Is this the next step in the dumbing-down of – er, I mean evolution of American English? What’s next? Will people find some way to combine modulate and demodulate? Forsooth, that’s crazy talk! ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comprise-compose-usage-question/266882/2 "2004-09-30T17:45:17Z")
Neither is correct, per strict usage, according to [url=http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=comprise][Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com) [/quote] : > [@](#): > > The traditional rule states that the whole comprises the parts and the parts compose the whole. In strict usage: The Union comprises 50 states. Fifty states compose (or constitute or make up) the Union. Even though careful writers often maintain this distinction, comprise is increasingly used in place of compose, especially in the passive: The Union is comprised of 50 states. Our surveys show that opposition to this usage is abating. In the 1960s, 53 percent of the Usage Panel found this usage unacceptable; in 1996, only 35 percent objected. If you want to be strictly correct, you should say “A small piece of fancy jasper, a tiger’s eye, a bloodstone, a chunk of quartz and several pieces of feldspar _comprises_ my sad little rock collection.” ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comprise-compose-usage-question/266882/3 "2004-09-30T17:51:23Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > If you want to be strictly correct, you should say “A small piece of fancy jasper, a tiger’s eye, a bloodstone, a chunk of quartz and several pieces of feldspar _comprises_ my sad little rock collection.” Are you sure about that, **Q.E.D.**? Your example contradicts your “strict interpretation” quote (and also has an error in number). I still uphold the strict usage when copyediting. I feel that it’s a useful distinction. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comprise-compose-usage-question/266882/4 "2004-09-30T17:55:50Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > Are you sure about that, **Q.E.D.**? Your example contradicts your “strict interpretation” quote (and also has an error in number). Ack! You’re right on both counts. I was thinking one thing and typed another. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comprise-compose-usage-question/266882/5 "2004-09-30T18:22:42Z")
Now I’m really confused. Is my first example incorrect or not? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comprise-compose-usage-question/266882/6 "2004-09-30T18:28:37Z")
> [@UrbanChic](#): > > Now I’m really confused. Is my first example incorrect or not? It is correct. Sorry for the confusion. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comprise-compose-usage-question/266882/7 "2004-09-30T18:29:32Z")
Example 1 is correct in my book. “Comprise” doesn’t take a preposition. My sad little rock collection comprises bla bla bla. or My sad rock is composed of bla bla bla. This is what I dun learned at skool. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comprise-compose-usage-question/266882/8 "2004-09-30T18:39:34Z")
And I wonder how we get into such marvelous tea parties such as [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=277994). ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comprise-compose-usage-question/266882/9 "2004-09-30T21:39:13Z")
My question hasn’t been answered yet. Is ‘comprised of’ a grammatical error? Is it a syntax error? Is it – shudder – just a matter of style? I need answers, folks! ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comprise-compose-usage-question/266882/10 "2004-09-30T21:49:45Z")
Q.E.D.'s first post, referring to the OED, answered your question, along with jjimm’s post that a preposition is not used with “comprise” (a corollary of the OED’S rule). This is a question of grammar. As noted, usage has become sloppy of late. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comprise-compose-usage-question/266882/11 "2004-09-30T22:21:31Z")
> [@UrbanChic](#): > > My question hasn’t been answered yet. Is ‘comprised of’ a grammatical error? Is it a syntax error? Is it – shudder – just a matter of style? > > I need answers, folks! “comprised of” is incorrect, but more and more common. It will eventually become correct, unfortunately. It’s one of those instances where pseudointellectuals try to use a fancy word in place of a perfectly good less-fancy word in order to come off as a fancy speaker, and they end up looking like an idiot. Other examples: apropos utilize epitome and I know there are more . . .