[grammar.gal]

I apologize. The reason "comprised" does not work in that sentence is a usage problem. The definition of "comprise" is often given as: "composed of". However, the two are not interchangeable. One does not use "comprise" in exactly the same way that one used "composed of."

The way Temico used the word "comprised" is incorrect, but I gave the wrong reason for the incorrectness. Instead of saying they have different meanings, I should have said they have different uses.


A usage note on "compose" in The New Oxford American Dictionary:
"Compose and comprise are often confused, but can be sorted out. The parts compose (make up) the whole; the whole comprises (contains) the parts: citizens who have been been chosen at random and screened for prejudices compose a jury; each crew comprises a commander, a gunner, and a driver. In passive constructions, the whole is composed of the parts, and the parts are comprised in the whole. In other words, ( compose = put together; comprise = contain, consist of.) Usage of the phrase 'is comprised of' is avoided by careful speakers and writers."

But this thread is not a debate of "comprise" vs "composed of".