Compliment vs Complement
Praise, a perfect match and two easily confused adjectives.
Created by Denis M., British English teacher.
Your goal: Distinguish praise from a useful match and choose accurate noun, verb and adjective patterns.
Read, try each short Say it task aloud, then compare with a model. Finish with the mastery quiz.
Use the lesson together. Pause at each Say it task for a brief exchange, then continue to the mastery quiz.
1. Praise or a good match?
COMPLIMENT: say something positive
She gave me a compliment on my presentation.
A compliment expresses admiration or praise.
COMPLEMENT: complete or improve
The pictures complement the explanation.
The pictures and explanation work well together.
Both words can be nouns or verbs. They are normally pronounced the same, so spelling depends on meaning.
Memory cue: complement connects with complete. For compliment, think of someone saying “I like your work”. A complement need not finish something literally; it can enhance it.
Try it: a colleague says your report is clear. Is that a compliment or a complement?
Check the quick example
It is a compliment, because the colleague is praising the report.
Listen: praise and a good match
Hear the exchange. Decide which sentences express praise and which describe things that work well together.
Amanda · American English. Compliment and complement are normally homophones: context carries the distinction.
Model transcript and listening guidance
A workplace exchange: Your presentation was excellent. Thank you for the compliment. I liked how your examples complemented the charts. Our skills complement each other well.
Nouns, verbs and adjectives: She complimented me on my explanation. The sauce is a perfect complement to the fish. The hotel offers complimentary breakfast. We bring complementary skills to the team.
Listening guidance: The praise is a compliment. Skills that work well together complement each other. Complimentary tickets cost nothing; complementary skills fit together.
2. Give, receive and respond to a compliment
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| give/pay someone a compliment | Rosa paid me a compliment on my explanation. |
| a compliment on something | Thank you for the compliment on my work. |
| compliment someone on something | They complimented us on our teamwork. |
Use on for the thing being praised in these patterns. A simple response is Thank you. I’m glad it was useful. You do not need to reject the praise or immediately praise the other person.
“Your examples made the topic easy to understand.”
“Thank you. I’m glad they helped.”
A social meaning worth recognising
A backhanded compliment sounds partly positive but also contains criticism: “That was surprisingly good for a beginner.” In your own compliments, choose specific, sincere praise without the hidden criticism.
3. Show how things complement each other
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| A complements B | The illustration complements the text. |
| a complement to something | The exercise is a useful complement to the explanation. |
| complement each other | Our skills complement each other. |
When one person is good at planning and another is good at presenting, their different strengths can complement each other. They do not have to be identical.
Verb pattern: The sauce complements the fish. Do not add to after the verb. The noun pattern is different: The sauce is a complement to the fish.
4. C1 extension: complimentary or complementary?
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| complimentary | Expressing praise | The review was complimentary about her performance. |
| complimentary | Provided without charge | The hotel offers complimentary breakfast. |
| complementary | Combining usefully | The two courses develop complementary skills. |
Complimentary has two common meanings. In an offer about tickets, refreshments or services, it often means free. In a review or remark, it can mean praising.
Context check: “complimentary advice” could mean advice provided free, while “complementary advice” would mean advice that works alongside other advice. Rewrite an unclear phrase if the reader could misunderstand your intention.
Repair and explain
Try each repair aloud or in writing before opening the answer.
Repair the spelling: “She gave me a lovely complement on my teaching.”
Check the repair
She gave me a lovely compliment on my teaching.
The sentence describes praise, not something that completes or enhances something else.
Repair the pattern: “The diagrams complement to the written instructions.”
Check the repair
The diagrams complement the written instructions.
The verb complement takes a direct object. The noun pattern would be a complement to the instructions.
Mastery quiz
Choose one answer for each question. Check your answers, read the explanations, then retry any you missed.
Full answer key with explanations
- compliment. The speaker is thanking someone for praise.
- complement. The colours work well together.
- on. Compliment someone on something is the target pattern.
- to. A complement to something is the noun pattern.
- free of charge. Complimentary commonly means provided without charge in an offer.
- complementary. Complementary describes a useful combination.
- The photographs complement the article.. The verb takes the article directly as its object.
- praised it. Here complimentary describes praise.
- The surrounding meaning and context. The meaning tells you which word and spelling are intended.
- Thank you. I’m glad it helped.. This acknowledges the praise clearly.
Put it into practice
Write a short message praising a colleague’s work and explaining how it complements your own. Add one sentence offering something complimentary, with its meaning clear.
Self-check: Can a reader identify the praise, the useful combination and the free offer? Check compliment on, complement + object and a complement to.
Together: Your tutor asks one follow-up question. Answer it, then improve one of your sentences.
Compare with a model
Your examples made the report much clearer. They complement my summary by showing how the ideas work in practice. I can send you a complimentary copy of the guide, with no charge.