Valerie is a 42-year-old, single, Reformed Christian lady who lives in Baltimore. She doesn't remember a time
before she knew and loved Jesus, but she does remember accepting John Calvin into her heart in March of 2000.
Valerie is a member of Christ Reformed Evangelical Church in Annapolis.
Though her career aspiration is to be a housewife, Valerie has not yet found anyone suitable who wishes to hire
her for employment in that field (or, more properly, anyone suitable has not found her), so in the meantime she
earns her daily bread working in communications -- editing, writing, print design and website management.
Why I Can't Bring Myself to Charge My Friends for Editing
I have been blessed with the privilege and pleasure of editing a friend's doctoral project. As I just noted in a sidebar comment, "This is the price of my editing -- you have to put up with my occasional editorializing!" A few paragraphs later, I corrected a usage issue and gave the following explanation for the change:
Rule of thumb: Whenever you use the word "comprise," make sure the word "envelop" would fit in the same context (even though it wouldn't be the right word). You would never say that something "is enveloped of" several other things. Just so, you shouldn't say something "is comprised of" several other things. "Comprised" is not a synonym for "composed." That said, you can probably find any number of modern usage references that allow such a construction, but they are all descriptivist, postmodern tools of the devil, so just trust me, instead. ;-)
How stinkin' much fun can one editrix possibly have, I ask you?
Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 9:12 PM
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1 Comments:
On November 14, 2009 10:12 PMEmilywrote... LOL! :D Homeschooling has brought to light the mistakes I habitually make. I bought some upper level grammar textbooks (including Nancy Wilson's) to help me review what I've taken for granted.
