100 writing tips compose my book, Alright? Not All Right. My book comprises 100 writing tips. There’s a subtle difference between these words that is essential in mastering their usage. Are you getting them right?
- Ignoring other meanings for a moment, let’s focus on when “compose” means “to come together to form something.” Thus, little pieces come together to make something big. Words compose a page; planets compose the solar system; trees compose a forest.
- To comprise means “to contain,” so to use it properly, something big must contain smaller parts. The library comprises books; molecules comprise atoms; the “dead poets society” did not comprise dead poets (or maybe it did have one. Oh, I just got sad… good movie).
I can hear the gears grinding in your brain, and you’re thinking about more than Neil Perry. What about “to be comprised of,” you say?
Maybe you’ve been told to avoid the passive voice, but here’s one case where the passive voice should always be avoided. Never use to phrase “to be comprised of.” Technically, it’s a bit confusing, and it’s commonly considered nonstandard if not completely incorrect. Please stop using it.
Are these compose vs. comprise rules ones you’ve been following? Are they rules you’ve heard before? Whether this is new information or not, it’s time to get it right, folks. (And maybe to rewatch Dead Poets Society. I love that film.)