Complement or compliment — Aptitude Question
Complement or compliment: Choose the sentence in which the word is used correctly: Answer and worked solution on CodeKairo.
- Topic: Synonyms & Antonyms
- Section: Verbal Ability
- Difficulty: Medium
- Time target: 50 seconds
Question
Choose the sentence in which the word is used correctly:
Options
- He paid her a nice complement.
- The wine complements the meal perfectly.
- Her dress was a lovely complement on her taste.
- I would like to complement the chef.
Show the answer and the worked solution
Correct answer: B. The wine complements the meal perfectly.
Worked solution
- Complement = completes or goes well with; compliment = an expression of praise.
- 'The wine complements the meal' is the correct use.
Answer: The wine complements the meal perfectly.
The idea
The 'e' in complEment matches complEte. Praise is spelt with an 'i'.
Shortcut. Compliment with an 'i' is praise ('I like it'); complement completes. Only the wine-and-meal sentence is about completing.
Common trap. "I would like to complement the chef." — praising the chef needs compliment with an 'i'; complement would mean completing him.