Compose. Comprise. Confused!

These words aren’t interchangeable. Compose means "make up" or "made up" – so parts compose, or make up, a whole. OPEC is composed of 13 countries. (Thirteen countries make up OPEC.) The Gucci Group is composed of Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Sergio Rossi, Boucheron, Bottega Veneta, Bédat & Co, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, and Balenciaga. Comprise means to contain – so a whole comprises, or contains, parts. Comprise is never followed by "of" ('comprised of" is as weirdly wrong as "contained of" would be). OPEC comprises 13 countries. (OPEC contains 13 countries.) Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Sergio Rossi, Boucheron, Bottega Veneta, Bédat & Co, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, and Balenciaga comprise the Gucci Group. While it's true that using "compose" in place of "comprise" and vice versa isn't a major faux pas, it's also true that the distinction between the two is pretty clear and has a long history (in other words, the distinction wasn't created by me or by a nasty 20th-century grammarian bent on ruining your life). Both words, and distinct definitions, date back hundreds of years and come from Old French - French as written and spoken from about 900 to 1400. So try to use the right word at the right time, but relax if you're not sure. As Doris Day sang in Alfred Hitchcock's movie, "The Man Who Knew Too Much," in the end, que sera, sera, what will be will be.

Comments

[Karen Russell]

I submitted a book manuscript that used "comprised" or "comprising" WRONG at least 7 times. I haven't used it since. But I think I get it now. Thanks! :)

[Shona]

I agree that a group of entities comprises a larger group (a, b, c comprse X) but when the sentence is reversed, wouldn't you say "comprised of?" X is comprised of a, b, c?

[fermata]

Can never keep this one straight. I need a mnemonic device. Ideas?