Posted by Mitchell on January 20, 2003, at 20:43:41
In reply to Corrections » Mitchell, posted by beardedLADY on January 20, 2003, at 16:10:12
Beardy, I feel somewhat put down, but I hope Bob doesn't block you for it. I don't know why I am any more a threat to the language than the Capitalist propaganda-makers on Madison Avenue, but I don't hold you responsible for my feelings of being singled out and put down. I don't even take the put down feeling seriously. Feelings are sometimes like escaping body gas, so I don't think you should be banned for making me uh... feel something. And now I am on to a different, equally meaningless feeling anyway.
Rational/rationale - I know, but I rely on a spell checker as sort of a prosthetic extension to my brain.You might notice that as the pace of my posts increases, my spell checking seems to wain. Also, when I write during my lunch hour, I do not edit as carefully as I otherwise might. Same with proffering profer as the proper spelling for proffer. If I couldn't speak until I mastered the language so perfectly I would never err, I would remain silent. But many a fool speaks in flawless grammar.
Comprise, now there is a sticky one. In this usage, propriety is further clouded by my use of a negative modifier.
I think I am right on this. When Jimmy Carter said eight percent of our forces are comprised of women, he spoke correctly. If he said our forces are comprised of 8 percent women, he would have erred.
He could also have correctly said women comprise 8 percent of our forces. If he said the 8 percent of our troops who are women do not comprise an entire army, he would have spoken correctly. And then I can say, correctly, that simply looking at something does not comprise a full examination.
__________________________________________From M-W.com (Merriam-Webster):
Comprise, definition 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.
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poster:Mitchell
thread:8860
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20021128/msgs/8914.html