Difference between revisions of "Complement - compliment"
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*A '''compliment''', or a '''compliment'''ary remark, is something you say to someone (‘pay someone a '''compliment'''’) when you want to be nice: “What a nice dress!â€, “That’s very cleverâ€, “You played very well†etc. | *A '''compliment''', or a '''compliment'''ary remark, is something you say to someone (‘pay someone a '''compliment'''’) when you want to be nice: “What a nice dress!â€, “That’s very cleverâ€, “You played very well†etc. | ||
| + | ::Sometimes '''complimentary''' means ‘free’: e.g. '''complimentary''' tickets. These are things given because of the high esteem in which the giver holds the recipient. (Or not – sometimes they are merely an advertising gimmick!) | ||
| + | *A '''complement''', or a '''complement'''ary thing, is something that completes something else: e.g. a ship’s '''complement''' is her crew; one might say that an assignment has a '''complement'''ary Guide to experimental techniques; yin is '''complement'''ary to yang. | ||
| + | ::In grammar, a '''Complement''' is that which '''completes''' a sentence – most usually, the part of the sentence that follows the verb ‘to be’. For example, in the sentence “She is Scottishâ€, ‘Scottish’ is the '''Complement''' of ‘is’; in the sentence “This is '''Hull'''â€, ‘Hull’ is the '''complement''' of ‘is’; and ‘Thursday’ is the '''complement''' of ‘is’ in “Today is '''Thursday'''†. | ||
| − | + | ::There is also the <u>prepositional Complement</u>, which is the name given to the noun or noun phrase that follows a preposition, such as ‘in '''town'''’, ‘at '''work'''’, or ‘the pen of '''my aunt'''’. | |
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| − | There is also the <u>prepositional Complement</u>, which is the name given to the noun or noun phrase that follows a preposition, such as ‘in '''town'''’, ‘at '''work'''’, or ‘the pen of '''my aunt'''’. | + | |
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[[Category:spelling common errors]] [[category:homophones]] | [[Category:spelling common errors]] [[category:homophones]] | ||
Revision as of 23:47, 1 February 2007
These are two words that sound exactly the same (they are homophones).
- A compliment, or a complimentary remark, is something you say to someone (‘pay someone a compliment’) when you want to be nice: “What a nice dress!â€, “That’s very cleverâ€, “You played very well†etc.
- Sometimes complimentary means ‘free’: e.g. complimentary tickets. These are things given because of the high esteem in which the giver holds the recipient. (Or not – sometimes they are merely an advertising gimmick!)
- A complement, or a complementary thing, is something that completes something else: e.g. a ship’s complement is her crew; one might say that an assignment has a complementary Guide to experimental techniques; yin is complementary to yang.
- In grammar, a Complement is that which completes a sentence – most usually, the part of the sentence that follows the verb ‘to be’. For example, in the sentence “She is Scottishâ€, ‘Scottish’ is the Complement of ‘is’; in the sentence “This is Hullâ€, ‘Hull’ is the complement of ‘is’; and ‘Thursday’ is the complement of ‘is’ in “Today is Thursday†.
- There is also the prepositional Complement, which is the name given to the noun or noun phrase that follows a preposition, such as ‘in town’, ‘at work’, or ‘the pen of my aunt’.
