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fandom_grammar2014-03-03 10:15 pm
pigsflew.livejournal.com) wrote in fandom_grammar2014-03-03 10:15 pm
Answer: Is it “Comprises”, or “Is Comprised Of”?
Is it “comprises”, or “is comprised of”? (with an example from Marvel’s Iron Man)
“Comprise” is a verb that trips up many writers, even the most experienced grammar lovers. The word means “to be made up of”. The thing to remember about this word is that “comprises” and “is comprised of” are both possible correct formations of the word--what people get wrong is switching the subject and the object.
“Comprises” is an active simple present form of the verb. It takes as its subject the whole, and as its object a collection--usually a complete collection--of its parts. This is the opposite of the word “compose”, which is not usually used for this meaning in the active simple present, but would in this case take the collection as its subject, and the whole as its object.
The grammatically correct construction of the passive voice for “comprises” is generally viewed as very awkward, because it puts the object--in this case the components--before the subject. “Three different materials are comprised by the part” is just as awkward as the grammatically correct direct usage, “Three different materials compose the part.” While not technically wrong, they sound strange because the point of such a sentence is usually to emphasise deconstruction of the item, and putting the components first confuses this emphasis.
The simple answer is, then, that most of the time you will want “comprises”--if you’re looking for an active verb. If you want a passive construction, “is composed of” is your friend.
As always in a living language, this may change, and this is certainly not the first verb to have this kind of incorrect usage become idiomatically accepted. The verb “to possess” means to own, but the construction “to be possessed of” is a generally accepted formation which essentially makes “possessed of” mean “a thing which possesses.” Compare the actual passive voice “I am possessed by knowledge” to “I am possessed of knowledge”--the latter means I possess knowledge, the former means knowledge possesses me. It is possible to consider that a formation of “comprised of” may become similarly accepted as meaning “a thing which comprises”, in which case, “I am comprised of organs” would become correct, even as “I am comprised by organs” remains incorrect.
(For more on the passive voice, check out![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
supercheesegirl's Feature on the subject.)
“Comprise” is a verb that trips up many writers, even the most experienced grammar lovers. The word means “to be made up of”. The thing to remember about this word is that “comprises” and “is comprised of” are both possible correct formations of the word--what people get wrong is switching the subject and the object.
“Comprises” is an active simple present form of the verb. It takes as its subject the whole, and as its object a collection--usually a complete collection--of its parts. This is the opposite of the word “compose”, which is not usually used for this meaning in the active simple present, but would in this case take the collection as its subject, and the whole as its object.
“JARVIS, what’s in this piece?” Tony flipped the Hammer Industries weapon around, noting that there wasn’t a scratch on the thing, despite the best efforts of Dum-E. He was, despite himself, a little impressed.The example above has Jarvis using the simple direct “comprises” rather than the equivalent, but passive voice, “is composed of”.
The AI’s soothing accent seemed to come from all directions. “The weapon comprises an internal core structure of adamantium with a graphene external shell set into lightweight thin stripes of protective vibranium.”
Tony’s jaw dropped. “That’s impossible, I would have heard if anyone had figured out how to recreate vibranium in a lab. JARVIS, call Steve.”
The grammatically correct construction of the passive voice for “comprises” is generally viewed as very awkward, because it puts the object--in this case the components--before the subject. “Three different materials are comprised by the part” is just as awkward as the grammatically correct direct usage, “Three different materials compose the part.” While not technically wrong, they sound strange because the point of such a sentence is usually to emphasise deconstruction of the item, and putting the components first confuses this emphasis.
The simple answer is, then, that most of the time you will want “comprises”--if you’re looking for an active verb. If you want a passive construction, “is composed of” is your friend.
As always in a living language, this may change, and this is certainly not the first verb to have this kind of incorrect usage become idiomatically accepted. The verb “to possess” means to own, but the construction “to be possessed of” is a generally accepted formation which essentially makes “possessed of” mean “a thing which possesses.” Compare the actual passive voice “I am possessed by knowledge” to “I am possessed of knowledge”--the latter means I possess knowledge, the former means knowledge possesses me. It is possible to consider that a formation of “comprised of” may become similarly accepted as meaning “a thing which comprises”, in which case, “I am comprised of organs” would become correct, even as “I am comprised by organs” remains incorrect.
(For more on the passive voice, check out
supercheesegirl's Feature on the subject.)