Complement vs. Compliment: A Grammar Lesson

Thanks to this wonderful Pinterest post, there is no excuse for continuing to get this one wrong.

If you needed more incentive, the AP Style defines complement as a verb “denoting completeness or the process of supplementing something: The ship has a complement of 200 sailors and 20 officers. The tie complements his suit.”

In summary, compliment equates niceness or praise. Complement is completed.

Author: aurorameyer

I left the journalism roller coaster world for a more stable life in corporate America only to discover it is just as volatile and has a different vocabulary. View all posts by aurorameyer