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Compliment vs Complement 736 Views
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Want even more deets on Compliment vs. Complement? Take a look at our entire grammar section for all the goods.
Transcript
- 00:01
Compliment versus Complement, a la Shmoop. Your best friend Lisa showed up at school
- 00:14
this morning with a new pleather jacket...
- 00:16
...and you complimented her on finding a jacket that complemented her jeans.
- 00:22
Fortunately, Lisa was so busy looking awesome that she didn't ask if you were using “compliment”
- 00:27
with an “i” or “complement” with an “e.”
Full Transcript
- 00:30
The rule is: use “compliment” with an “i” when you want to praise someone or
- 00:35
something...
- 00:36
...and use “complement” with an “e” when you think that something goes together
- 00:40
with something else. For example, use the word “compliment”...
- 00:44
...“compliment” with an “i”, that is...
- 00:46
...when you want to compliment your dad on making something other than hot dogs for dinner...
- 00:51
...or compliment your kid brother for actually hitting the inside of the toilet bowl when
- 00:56
he takes a leak. Use the word “complement”...
- 00:58
...that's “complement” with an “e”...
- 01:00
...when your grandmother gives you a purse that complements your shoes...
- 01:05
...or your best friend's happy mood complements your own.
- 01:08
Now, you may be wondering… since “compliment” and “complement” are spelled almost the
- 01:12
same, how the heck are you supposed to remember which is which?
- 01:15
Try this trick. “Compliment” with an “i” means you're praising something. Use that
- 01:21
“i” to remember the phrase “I give compliments”.
- 01:25
“Complement” with an “e” means you think something goes well with something else.
- 01:29
Use that “e” to remember the phrase “My complementary shoes complete this outfit.”
- 01:36
Not that you care about such material things… So, boys and girls, one more time, with feeling.
- 01:41
Use “compliment” with an “i” when you want to praise someone or something...
- 01:44
...and “complement” with an “e” when you think that something goes together with
- 01:48
something else.
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