comprised of

Victor Steinbok aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM
Mon May 21 23:54:59 UTC 2012


http://goo.gl/hmRGz
> Ammonium Sulfate
> What it is: *A salt compound comprised of nitrogen*
> Where you'll find it: In some fertilizers -- and in some breads, like
> the rolls at Subway.

How many different things are wrong or incongruent about that single
"sentence"? (the one in the middle)

First, salt. Salt, in general, most often refers to table salt, then
more generic and less pure rock salt, then various bath and water
softening product and some quasi-pharmaceutical products (e.g., Epsom
salts). There are also some euphemistic uses, e.g., smelling salts.
That's the usual several top definitions of "salt". The one use that you
will almost never see outside of professional chemistry context is the
one that's in use here: "any of various compounds that result from
replacement of part or all of the acid hydrogen of an acid by a metal or
a group acting like a metal *:* an ionic crystalline compound" (MWOLD
definition). Well, we got the "acid" part, for sure--sulfate. And
ammonium radical must be the "metal"--"an ion NH_4^+ derived from
ammonia by combination with a hydrogen ion and known in compounds (as
salts) that resemble in properties the compounds of the alkali metals"
(MWOLD). I readily accept that usage as correct--and, in fact, I've
always been one of those nerds who peeved about its
under-utilization--but this is not what passes for "salt" in normal
non-technical exchanges, which is what we have here.

Second, "salt compound". That would make sense if it was something made
out of table salt. To put it simply, it ain't.

Third, "comprised of". Huh? Ammonium Sulfate is "comprised of nitrogen"?
It is composed or made up of nitrogen? It has nitrogen as one of the
atomic contributors, but it's not "comprised of" it. Even had the line
claimed that it was "comprised of" nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur and
hydrogen, I'd be uneasy, but might grudgingly accept it. But in this
form? Never.

After all that, finding common fertilizer in Subway "bread"--along with
sand and diaper rash ointment--is a minor concern. It's rare that a
six-word fragment can hit on three different pet peeves at once...
Apparently, looking scientifically illiterate is totally gauche today,
which is why all the journos--and pseudo-journos--are trying to
compensate. But trying not to appear plain illiterate is now passe.

     VS-)

PS: The usual Murphy's rules apply--in talking about errors, I probably
committed a bunch, but am too lazy to review and edit. I already fixed
one: from "Being plain illiterate is now passe" to "Trying not to appear
plain illiterate is now passe". The first one is a common reversal.
PPS: What's Windows built-in dictionary's problem with "incongruent"?
Apparently it does not like it. The nerd in me simply cannot stand the
stupid red underlining in perfectly good words...

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