“The streets compromising the start line …”

Verbs

I saw this yesterday in the 2009 entry confirmation for the Houston Marathon.

Problem:
The author should not have used “compromising” in the confirmation.

Explanation:
The 2009 Chevron Houston Marathon, which I am completing today, sent to me an “entry confirmation” booklet.

One of the booklet’s pages showed a map of sixteen blocks near the start of the marathon.

One sentence on that page was “The streets compromising the start line will close at 12:00 a.m.”

Yikes!

Streets to be used for the line of some 18,000 people starting the Houston Marathon cannot “compromise” that line.

Instead, those streets can comprise that start line.

Solution:
“The streets comprising the start line …”