Editing Guide to technical writing (section)

===Comprise or comprised of?===

The trick here is to substitute the "comprise" with "contain" and see which sounds better:

:The circuit comprises a resistor and capacitor     →    The circuit contains a resistor and capacitor... (sounds correct)
:The circuit is comprised of a resistor and capacitor  →    The circuit is contained of a resistor and capacitor... (sounds wrong)

Therefore always avoid "comprised of" as it is technically wrong. Language does evolve and many people do say "comprised of" and you can argue to for its use. However, if you use "comprises" no one will complain, but if you use "comprised of" some people will complain.   Thus, to minimise the chances of annoying a thesis examiner, it is better to avoid "comprised of."