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"Can you discuss 'comprise/compose' in your column," writes Carole Shmurak of Farmington, Connecticut, "or is it a lost cause?" (I'm going to presume the "lost cause" Carole mentions isn't my column but the fight to retain the distinction between "comprise" and "compose.")

No, Carole, it's not a lost cause! And even if it is, gosh darn it, as Jimmy Stewart proclaims in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," "The lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for!"

Man the barricades! Woman the barricades! Never surrender!

Why am I taking such a ridiculously strong stand on this issue? I cite Bryan Garner, who writes in the authoritative guide "Garner's Modern American Usage": "Correct use of these words is simple, but increasingly rare." OK, so that's not exactly "Remember the Alamo!" but it's good enough for me.

"Comprise" means "to include, contain, embrace." "Compose" means "to constitute, to form by putting together."

This distinction is easy if you memorize this mantra: "The whole (entity) comprises the parts; the parts (pieces) compose the whole." Sing it in the shower! Shout it while you're driving! Say it in your sleep!

Hence, the United States of America comprises 50 states. NATO comprises 32 member nations. The solar system comprises Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and, maybe, Pluto.

The two most common errors involving "comprise" are:

1. using "comprise" for "compose" -- WRONG: Happy, Sleepy, Dopey, Bashful, Sneezy, Grumpy and Doc comprise the Seven Dwarfs. RIGHT: Happy, Sleepy, Dopey, Bashful, Sneezy, Grumpy and Doc compose the Seven Dwarfs.

A recent news release from the venerable Harvard School of Public Health flubbed this one: "Old diesel buses still comprise (read 'compose') most school bus fleets."

2. using "is comprised of" for "comprises" -- WRONG: New York City is comprised of five boroughs. RIGHT: New York City comprises five boroughs.

J. K. Rowling had trouble with this one. In "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," she wrote, "The crowd in the mysterious room was comprised of (read 'composed of') adults."

Think you've got it? Select the correct verb in these sentences: 1. Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (comprise/compose) the Benelux economic union. 2. The Benelux economic union (comprises/is comprised of) Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. 3. Benelux (is, isn't) a brand of vacuum cleaner.

Answers: 1. compose 2. comprises 3. isn't

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Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. His book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to WordGuy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

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