One Error PR Pros Should Not Make
Posted on May. 24, 2016 / Subscribe 0
By Joseph Priest, Corporate Writer, Syniverse
This mistake has had copy editors throwing their hands over their heads for so long that you would think everyone would get it right by now, but they don’t. At the same time, there is growing pressure for a change in usage for “comprised of” that is worth knowing.
The Correct Way to Use ‘Comprise’ Now
First, a look at the current correct usage, according the AP Stylebook, the Chicago Manual of Style, Garner’s Modern English Usage and other authoritative guides. “To comprise” means “to contain or embrace,” so something is not properly “comprised of” something else. The correct way to use “comprise” is in the active voice:
The national tour comprises 12 cities.
When writers use “comprised of,” the word they usually mean to use is “compose,” in the passive voice. “To compose” means “to create or put together” and can be used in both the active and passive voice:
Bart composed a news release.
The media kit is composed of seven documents.
“Constitute,” in the sense of form or make up, is another option that can be used for “comprise” or “compose”:
Four TV news stations, three magazines and one newspaper constitute the local media targets.
However, even when used correctly, “comprise,” “compose” and “constitute” tend to sound stilted. A less formal and more useful verb in many cases is “consist”:
The board consists of four executive officers and six committee chairs.
And an even more informal and colloquial option is some form of “made up of”:
Sections on market analysis, media strategy and new tactics make up the critical parts of the new-business presentation.
The account team is made up of two account executives, one account supervisor and one vice president.
Gathering Pressure for a Change
Although the use of “comprise” in the active voice only is still the standard for most well-edited publications today and the use endorsed by the authorities mentioned above, there has been growing pressure for the sanctioning of “comprised of.”
The pressure is based mostly on the sheer amount of this word’s use (or misuse) and is not without precedent. Similar changes in usage led to the sanctioning of “safe haven,” which is a redundancy; the definition of “careen” to also mean “to lurch or swerve speedily,” which was formerly a definition reserved for the verb “career”; and the pronunciation “komp-tro-ler” for the word “comptroller,” which is properly pronounced exactly as the word “controller” is.
But we’re not there yet with “comprised of.” Acceptance for this change by the language community – which includes dictionaries, usage guides, stylebooks, and leading news publications – has not gained critical mass yet, and “comprised of” continues to be considered poor usage.
For this reason, PR pros would be well-advised to refrain from using “comprised of” in their work and try to keep in mind this simple principle with “comprise”: the whole “comprises” the parts; the whole is “composed of” the parts.
Make sense? I would love to know if “comprised of” creeps into any of your work or if you have confusion about its use.
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