I believe that that is not correct, and that correct usage says that the whole comprises its parts, the parts compose the whole, and the whole is composed of its parts.
> Although it has been in use since the late 18th century, sense 3 [the relevant one for this discussion] is still attacked as wrong. Why it has been singled out is not clear …. 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.
Comments
It can take a preposition, but only in the passive form. Valid: "x comprises y"; "y is comprised of x". Invalid: "x comprises of y".
I believe that that is not correct, and that correct usage says that the whole comprises its parts, the parts compose the whole, and the whole is composed of its parts.
As with all prescriptions, this is not universally agreed upon; Merriam Webster (the first Google hit for ‘comprise’, at http://www.merriam-webster.com/netdict/comprise) says (say?):
> Although it has been in use since the late 18th century, sense 3 [the relevant one for this discussion] is still attacked as wrong. Why it has been singled out is not clear …. 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.