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Every time I hear someone say "...comprised of..." it brings me closer to becoming hysterical. A few minutes ago Garret Lewis, on Tucson Radio Station KNST, spoke of brownies being "comprised of" something or other. Using correct grammar, he should have said either "composed of" or "...comprises..." because the word "of" is never correctly used with the word "comprised."
Dr. Grammar writes:
Comprise?
"Nothing is ever 'comprised of' something. To comprise means 'to contain or to embrace': The jury comprises seven women and five men.
All of the following mean the same thing:
The jury is composed of seven women and five men.
The jury is made up of seven women and five men.
Seven women and five men constitute the jury.
Seven women and five men make up the jury.
Even when used correctly, in my humble opinion, comprise and constitute tend to sound stilted. Some form of is made up of sounds better in most cases."
Why is this important? Because using a word incorrectly (as so many public speakers do these days) changes its meaning in the minds of the hearers who themselves repeat the mistake, which helps destroy the effectiveness of the English language, word by word by word.
There are, of course, times when incorrect grammar is excusable and even preferable, such as when words are purposely used incorrectly in a fiction story's character dialogue, or when consciously used incorrectly in a poem to make a point in an artistic manner.
Robert Brault once wrote: "Do not be surprised when those who ignore the rules of grammar also ignore the law. After all, the law is just so much grammar."
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Happy Birthday
Born February 8, 1955
(When I was 16)
__________Ignorant people think it is the noise which fighting cats make that is so aggravating, but it ain't so; it is the sickening grammar that they use.
--Mark Twain
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