Heya, Word Wranglers! Have you ever told someone not to “over-exaggerate,” or asked what a list was “comprised of”? On today’s episode, I’ll explain some common pitfalls I’ve seen when it comes to the words “exaggerate” and “comprise,” so that hopefully we can all avoid those mishaps and use these two words with greater clarity and finesse.
And believe me—I’m right here with you when it comes to polishing up skills, whether it’s revisiting words to strengthen my grasp of them or finally ferreting out the answers when it comes to ones I was feeling more uncertain about.
“Comprise” means “contains, is made up of, embraces”: the whole comprises the parts, the parts compose the whole. “Is comprised of” should properly be rephrased as either “comprises” or “is composed of” (“the galaxy comprises many stars” or “the galaxy is composed of many stars”).
American Astronomical Society [AAS]
Merriam-Webster Definitions:
| ex·ag·ger·ate | \ ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrāt \ exaggerated; exaggerating Definition of exaggerate transitive verb 1 : to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth : OVERSTATE a friend exaggerates a man’s virtues — Joseph Addison 2 : to enlarge or increase especially beyond the normal : OVEREMPHASIZE intransitive verb : to make an overstatement |
| com·prise | \ kəm-ˈprīz \ comprised; comprising Definition of comprise transitive verb 1 : to be made up of The factory was to be a vast installation, comprising fifty buildings. — Jane Jacobs The play comprises three acts. 2 : 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 3 : 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. — The Times Literary Supplement (London) |
Content Notice: This episode is a family-friendly one, folks! A real “G,” haha.
Resource Roundup:
- Usage Murder: Getting Rid of the “Of” after “Comprised” | English Essay Writing Tips
- Why Is It Incorrect to Say “Is Comprised Of”? | American Astronomical Society
- Can You Use “Comprised Of”? | Merriam-Webster
- “Exaggerate” Definition | Merriam-Webster
- “Comprise” Definition | Merriam-Webster
Resources & Episode Web Page: https://ahsokajackson.com/2020/11/27/7-word-wrangling-exaggerate–comprise/(opens in a new tab)
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