You all know me. Having been given a heads-up on this topic, I couldn't rest until I found a definitive answer. And the answer is: There is no definitive answer. Pick your grammar book and pick your answer.
I must admit, though, that I've never been a big fan of Strunk and White (even though I'm old too, Sherry). I've always felt that it leaned way too far toward journalistic style rules, which while not a problem for journalists, are not always what are considered the best style for fiction or academic writing. Just for the record, I searched the online version of S & W for "comprise/compose" and couldn't find it at all. I don't own a copy of the print version and couldn't find a copy at my local bookstore; perhaps it's in there.
Personally, I tend to lean toward the belief that languages evolve; and that the rules change over time. I also tend to trust the English department at Columbia University. This is
what they have to say:
(Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.)
"comprise, compose, consist, constitute, include (vv.)
Of these, comprise offers the only truly vexed usage issue: commentators have strongly objected to both the X is comprised of Y and Z and Y and Z comprise X constructions, insisting that only X comprises Y and Z is acceptable. The active voice use, as in Many items comprise a single whole, and the passive, as in This list is comprised of sixty items or These dishes are comprised of many ingredients, are thoroughly established in Standard English, but there are still some party lines drawn about their acceptability. Best advice: if using comprise makes you nervous and unsure, why not use one of the synonyms—constitute or compose for the active use (which receives the most criticism) and include(s) or consist(s) of for the passive? The truth is that no matter how you use this word, someone can almost always be found to object. None of the many neat schemes purporting to describe its correct use seems accurately to describe the way Standard English users actually employ comprise."
I especially like the line: "The truth is that no matter how you use this word, someone can almost always be found to object." Truer words were never spoken.
Schoolmarm
