Comprising vs Comprised Of

Sandi LeFaucheur · Nov 15, 2008

I think this sentence should say "Comprised of" rather than "Comprising". Thoughts, please?

Comprising two cities, X and Y, and the Town of Z, the Region is etc etc etc

In my opinion, the sentence should be reworded totally, but I'd like your opinions on it as it stands. Thanks!

stephenf · Nov 15, 2008

You could use either.But I think "comprised of", may not be strictly correct , reads better and is so commonly used to be O K.

RobJ · Nov 15, 2008

Traditionally comprises means includes, and you wouldn't say includes of. But it's also often used (abused according to purists) to mean made up of, which is where comprised of comes in.

In your example I would avoid using of, because it's fine as it is.

Cheers,
Rob

Mr. Chuckletrousers · Nov 15, 2008

Sandi LeFaucheur said:
I think this sentence should say "Comprised of" rather than "Comprising". Thoughts, please?

Comprising two cities, X and Y, and the Town of Z, the Region is etc etc etc

In my opinion, the sentence should be reworded totally, but I'd like your opinions on it as it stands. Thanks!

Use "compose" rather than "comprise":

"Composed of two cities, X and Y, and the Town of Z, the Region..."

FennelGiraffe · Nov 15, 2008

"Composed of two cities..."

"Including two cities..."

"Containing two cities..."

"Consisting of two cities..."

ResearchGuy · Nov 15, 2008

Sandi LeFaucheur said:
I think this sentence should say "Comprised of" rather than "Comprising". Thoughts, please?

Comprising two cities, X and Y, and the Town of Z, the Region is etc etc etc

In my opinion, the sentence should be reworded totally, but I'd like your opinions on it as it stands. Thanks!

The whole comprises the parts. "Is comprised of" is always a mistake, although it is an often-made mistake, and a battle that has been lost.

This was a sore point decades ago with my father, a renowned lexicographer (etymological editor of Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language for some 40 years), and it is something I invariably notice and mentally correct when the word is misused.

Anyway, this is correct: " Comprising two cities, X and Y, and the Town of Z, the Region is . . . ." However, you might want to make it, "Encompassing two cities . . ." instead.

--Ken

Popo Agie Flow · Nov 15, 2008

Howdy Sandy,

"Comprising two cities, X and Y, and the Town of Z, the Region is etc etc etc"

Call me a purist. Don't use comprised or the gerund, comprising. I like your idea about rewording the sentence. "The region comprises two cities, X and Y, and one town, Z." Then move on to your next point without the "is" contruction.

Slainte,

Bob

Fullback · Nov 15, 2008

I agree with ResearchGuy that "comprising" is the correct choice that falls on deaf ears. It's like the term Daylight Saving Time. "Daylight Savings Time" is incorrect, but seen and heard regularly.

blacbird · Nov 15, 2008

Rewrite the sentence. "Comprised", as has been noted, is commonly misused and as commonly is misunderstood. It comes across as one of those unnecessarily legalistic jargon words.

There must be fifty other ways to express the idea of a region containing two cities and a smaller town. Find a better one that avoids the troublesome word.

caw

girlyswot · Nov 16, 2008

blacbird said:
Rewrite the sentence. "Comprised", as has been noted, is commonly misused and as commonly is misunderstood. It comes across as one of those unnecessarily legalistic jargon words.

There must be fifty other ways to express the idea of a region containing two cities and a smaller town. Find a better one that avoids the troublesome word.

caw

*sigh*

'Comprised' is a good word with a precise meaning, for which there is no exact synonym. Use it, otherwise it will disappear from the language.

blacbird · Nov 16, 2008

girlyswot said:
*sigh*

'Comprised' is a good word with a precise meaning, for which there is no exact synonym. Use it, otherwise it will disappear from the language.

I never said "abandon it". Just that in the original example, it's both ungainly and easily replaced:

Containing two cities, X and Y . . . .

I don't even like that simple substitution all that much, because I dislike starting sentences with gerund forms. Clumsy sentences, to me (and I write as many of them in rough drafts as anybody here), are signals for rewriting. Any time I feel like asking for an explanation of something I've written, it means I need to rewrite it.

caw

girlyswot · Nov 17, 2008

blacbird said:
I never said "abandon it". Just that in the original example, it's both ungainly and easily replaced:

Containing two cities, X and Y . . . .

I don't even like that simple substitution all that much, because I dislike starting sentences with gerund forms. Clumsy sentences, to me (and I write as many of them in rough drafts as anybody here), are signals for rewriting. Any time I feel like asking for an explanation of something I've written, it means I need to rewrite it.

caw

But 'containing' has quite a different meaning from 'comprising'. Containing indicates that while those towns are included in the region, there may be many others which aren't mentioned. Comprising indicates that the full measure of the region is accounted for.

Sandi LeFaucheur · Nov 18, 2008

Thanks, all!

Comprising vs Comprised Of

Sandi LeFaucheur

stephenf

RobJ

Mr. Chuckletrousers

Sith happens.

FennelGiraffe

It's green they say

ResearchGuy

Resident Curmudgeon

Popo Agie Flow

stream of consciousness

Fullback

blacbird

girlyswot

blacbird

girlyswot

Sandi LeFaucheur