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Strategies & Market Trends : The Residential Real Estate Crash Index -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Tommaso who wrote (61593)	9/7/2006 10:31:40 PM
From: ChanceIs	Respond to of 306849

>>>Thank you for using the word "comprise" correctly.<<< Nah, don't think so. TITD wrote: >>>the bubble areas comprise 75% of the total real estate value in the country.<<< It should be, "real estate comprises 75% of the bubble areas." The whole comprises the parts, and not necessarily all of the parts. (eg. The United States comprises Alabama, and Pennsylanvia.) Conversely, the parts compose the whole. As our culture dumbs down, compose and comprise have become interchangeable. Its a shame. Is there another word that fits definition #1 below???? I suppose "includes" might work. Per Mirriam Webster: comprise One entry found for comprise. Main Entry: com·prise Pronunciation: k&m-'prIz Function: transitive verb Inflected Form(s): com·prised; com·pris·ing Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French compris, past participle of comprendre, from Latin comprehendere 1 : to include especially within a particular scope <civilization as Lenin used the term would then certainly have comprised the changes that are now associated in our minds with "developed" rather than "developing" states -- Times Literary Supplement> 2 : to be made up of <a vast installation, comprising fifty buildings -- Jane Jacobs> 3 : COMPOSE, CONSTITUTE <a misconception as to what comprises a literary generation -- William Styron> <about 8 percent of our military forces are comprised of women -- Jimmy Carter> usage Although it has been in use since the late 18th century, sense 3 is still attacked as wrong. Why it has been singled out is not clear, but until comparatively recent times it was found chiefly in scientific or technical writing rather than belles lettres. Our current evidence shows a slight shift in usage: sense 3 is somewhat more frequent in recent literary use than the earlier senses. You should be aware, however, that if you use sense 3 you may be subject to criticism for doing so, and you may want to choose a safer synonym such as compose or make up.