Good point, Roberta.
Quote:Comprise literally means "is made up of," so "The team is comprised of" literally means "The team is made up of of."
This may be my husband's second pet peeve, learned at his papa's knee. I've heard both of them go on and on about it, especially when they found it used in a newspaper or, God forbid, a magazine.
"Comprised of" is hard to hear, but I've read it has been in use (at least in print) since the middle of the nineteenth century. It has received that worst of all English awards, that sneaking into the grammar books based on common usage.
One source says if you're confused, use "constitute" instead.
from
http://www.bartleby.com/64/C003/070.html
Quote: If you follow the traditional rule, you say that the whole comprises the parts and that the parts compose the whole. Thus you would say The Union comprises fifty states and Fifty states compose (or constitute or make up) the Union. While writers often maintain this distinction, comprise is increasingly used in place of compose, especially in the passive: The Union is comprised of fifty states. Don't be surprised if this usage still elicits comments, however. In an earlier survey, a majority of the Usage Panel found this use of comprise unacceptable.
I concur.
They worked as a group for their mutual benefit, but there was always a clear leader running the show....therefore proving the major fallacy of Marxism, not taking human nature into consideration in the philosophy...you know, that thesis probably would have worked at a state college...
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