26. The COMPLEMENT - COMPLIMENT Confusion

Welcome back, Everybody, and I hope all of you are healthy and happy and have been enjoying yourself since our last lesson.

We're moving right along with a new topic, addressed especially for a friend who wondered about this one, so let's put it on the front porch and take a good look at a little problem that shouldn't prove too difficult.

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between COMPLEMENT and COMPLIMENT? Yes, they do sound exactly alike but have different meanings--making them HOMOPHONES. (Other examples of homophones are TO, TOO, and TWO.)

I think you'll see that these two words are very easily distinguishable if you'll just use the little trick that follows.

Let's take a look first at COMPLEMENT.

COMPLEMENT simply means something that fills up, makes perfect, or completes. Notice that both COMPLEMENT (along with its other forms) and COMPLETE have two "E's", so the meaning of COMPLEMENT has its own definition right there in the word itself. An example can be seen in a sentence such as this:

Joan's shoes and pocketbook COMPLEMENT her dress since the color gold is used in all three items.

Here, the idea is that the shoes, pocketbook, and dress are all "completed or made perfect" by Joan's idea of using a monochromatic color scheme.

Now, what about COMPLIMENT?

COMPLIMENT (and all of its other forms) just means to praise or admire. Here, we have only one "E'" in COMPLIMENT, so we now have a different meaning.

An example for this follows:

Greg loved to COMPLIMENT Debra's beautiful eyes.

Here, Greg is showing his admiration for Debra's eyes.

Easy, right?


Try the following sentences to see if you have this rule down pat.

(1) Some young ladies are suspicious of a man's attempt to (complement, compliment) their looks.

(2) What a wonderful (complement, compliment) to a baked ham supper is a big bowl of black-eyed peas!

(3) The sound of Whiteville High School's Marching Band (complements, compliments) the floats and other units in the Homecoming Parade.

(4) Steve's gorilla costume was perfectly (complemented, complimented) by hairy hands and feet.

(5) Betty said her blind date was so ugly he'd have to sneak up on a glass of water to get a date--even if he (complemented, complimented) it all night long.

So...how did you do this time?

(1) COMPLIMENT is correct because it implies a man's attempt to praise or admire these young ladies.

(2 COMPLEMENT is correct because it suggests how the addition of black-eyed peas is completing or making the supper perfect.

(3) COMPLEMENT is correct because it refers to the sound of the band completing or making the parade perfect.

(4) COMPLEMENT is correct because it implies how the hairy hands and feet completed or made the costume perfect .

(5) COMPLIMENT is correct because it suggests praise or admiration of the date (in the negative form).



Well, all right! I hope you made 100 on this little quiz and now completely understand these two homophones. Just keep in mind the two "E's" rule and you'll be good to go.

That time has come again, folks. As I write this, it's about pink of the evening, so I'm signing off for now. I hope all goes just perfect for you until we meet again. Do continue to give me ideas and suggestions about these lessons and I'll get right to them as soon as possible Much peace and happiness to you and yours, GG