Compliment vs Complimentary

Objectives

• Understand the difference between compliment (noun/verb) and complimentary (adjective).
• Recognize correct usage in sentences.
• Practice forming sentences using the correct word.
• Avoid common mistakes when choosing between these words.

Vocabulary and Pronunciation

1. Compliment

   • Part of speech: Noun / Verb
   • Pronunciation: /ˈkɒm.plɪ.mənt/ (UK), /ˈkɑːm.plə.mənt/ (US)
   • Meaning as a noun: A polite expression of praise or admiration.
     • Example: “She gave me a nice compliment about my presentation.”
   • Meaning as a verb: To praise or express admiration.
     • Example: “He complimented her on her new haircut.”
   • Japanese: 賞賛、ほめ言葉（名詞）；ほめる（動詞）

2. Complimentary

   • Part of speech: Adjective
   • Pronunciation: /kəmˈplɪm.ən.tər.i/ (UK), /ˌkɑːm.pləˈmen.t̬ɚ.i/ (US)
   • Main meanings:
   • Free of charge (“complimentary ticket/meal/service”):
     • Example: “The hotel offers complimentary breakfast.”
     • Japanese: 無料の、無料で提供される
   • Expressing praise (“a complimentary remark”):
     • Example: “He made several complimentary comments about her work.”
     • Japanese: 賞賛を表す
3. Note: The “free” meaning is very common in contexts like services or goods provided at no cost. The “praising” meaning is also used but less often; in that sense, it describes something that expresses a compliment.

Explanation of Differences

1. Spelling and Form

   • Compliment ends in “-ment” and can be noun or verb.
   • Complimentary ends in “-ary” and is always an adjective.

2. Core Meanings

   • Compliment (noun/verb) → praise or the act of praising.
   • Complimentary (adjective) → either free/no cost OR giving praise.

3. Common Confusion

   • Learners sometimes write: “Thank you for the complimentary.”
     • This is usually incorrect if they mean “Thank you for the compliment.”
   • Or: “They gave us a compliment breakfast.”
     • Incorrect: should be “complimentary breakfast” (meaning free).
   • Remember:
     • If you’re talking about praising someone: use compliment (noun) or to compliment (verb).
     • If you’re describing something as free: use complimentary (adjective).
     • If you’re describing something as praising: you can also use complimentary (adjective), as in “a complimentary remark,” but be aware that here “complimentary” modifies “things/comments” that express praise.

4. Usage Tips

   • To avoid confusion, if you mean “praise,” think: “compliment” (two “i”s: com-plI-ment).
   • If you mean “free,” think: “complimentary” with “ary” ending, often used for services/items.
   • If you describe praise indirectly (adjective), you can say “complimentary”: e.g., “She said some complimentary things about the project.” But note that here “complimentary” modifies “things/comments” that express praise.

Example Sentences

1. Compliment (noun)

   • “I received a compliment on my English pronunciation.”
   • 日本語訳: 「英語の発音についてほめ言葉をもらった。」

2. Compliment (verb)

   • “Please compliment her on her good work.”
   • 日本語訳: 「彼女のよい仕事を褒めてあげてください。」

3. Complimentary (free)

   • “The airline offers complimentary drinks during the flight.”

   • 日本語訳: 「その航空会社はフライト中に無料のドリンクを提供します。」

   • “Guests receive complimentary Wi-Fi access.”

   • 日本語訳: 「宿泊客は無料のWi-Fiアクセスを利用できます。」

4. Complimentary (expressing praise)

   • “He made a complimentary remark about her painting.”
   • 日本語訳: 「彼は彼女の絵画について賞賛の言葉を述べた。」

5. Incorrect vs. Correct

   • Incorrect: “Thank you for the complimentary.”
   • Why incorrect? Because “complimentary” is adjective; here we need a noun “compliment.”
   • Correct: “Thank you for the compliment.”
   • Incorrect: “We enjoyed a compliment meal.”
   • Why incorrect? “compliment meal” would mean “praise meal,” which makes no sense.
   • Correct: “We enjoyed a complimentary meal.” (free meal)

Practice Exercises

A. Fill in the Blanks

Choose compliment or complimentary (and the correct form if it’s a verb).

1. “She felt happy when her teacher ____ her hard work.”
2. “The hotel provides ____ toiletries for all guests.”
3. “He sent me a nice ____ on my new haircut.”
4. “They received ____ tickets to the concert.”
5. “It was very ____ of him to say such nice things about my essay.”
   • (Hint: here you need an adjective meaning “expressing praise.”)
6. “I want to ____ you on passing the exam.”
7. “Guests can enjoy a ____ breakfast each morning.”
8. “Her ____ about the design boosted my confidence.”
9. “Is coffee ____ in the café or do I need to pay?”
10. “Her words were very ____ and encouraging.”
    • (Hint: adjective meaning “praising.”)

Answers for Self-Check

1. complimented
2. complimentary
3. compliment
4. complimentary
5. complimentary (“It was very complimentary of him to say…” meaning “praising”)
6. compliment
7. complimentary
8. compliment (noun)
9. complimentary
10. complimentary

B. Sentence Correction

Correct the mistakes in the following sentences:

1. “Thank you for the complimentary on my work.”
2. “We were delighted by the compliment meal provided by the resort.”
3. “He made a compliment remark about the painting.”
4. “Are drinks compliment during the event?”
5. “It was complimentary of her to help me with my project.”
   • (Tricky: here the intended meaning might be “praiseworthy,” so check if context matches.)

Suggested Corrections

1. “Thank you for the compliment on my work.”
2. “We were delighted by the complimentary meal provided by the resort.”
3. “He made a complimentary remark about the painting.”
   • Note: “complimentary remark” means a remark expressing praise.
4. “Are drinks complimentary during the event?”
5. “It was complimentary of her to help me with my project.”
   • This is actually correct if you mean “It was generous/kind/praising?”
   • However, note that “complimentary of her” means “expressing praise”?
   • Better: If intended “It was kind/generous of her,” use “kind” or “generous.” “Complimentary of her” can sound odd; usually we say “It was very kind of her.”
   • If you want “It was a praising remark from her,” restructure: “Her comments were complimentary about my project.”

C. Create Your Own Sentences

Write one sentence of each type:
1. Using compliment as a noun.
2. Using compliment as a verb.
3. Using complimentary to mean “free.”
4. Using complimentary to mean “expressing praise.”

After writing, check if you used the correct form and meaning.

Dialogue Practice

Read the dialogue below and identify whether “compliment” or “complimentary” is used and why.

Aki: “Did you see the email from the conference organizers?”
Ben: “Yes. They offered me complimentary tickets to the keynote session.”
Aki: “That’s great! Also, I want to compliment you on your presentation topic. It’s interesting.”
Ben: “Thank you! And yes, I’m happy they give us free access.”
Aki: “Be careful: if anyone thanks you for the complimentary, they actually mean ‘compliment.’”
Ben: “Right. I’ll remind them: ‘Thank you for the compliment.’”

• “complimentary tickets”: adjective meaning free.
• “compliment you on your presentation”: verb meaning praise.
• “thanks you for the complimentary”: incorrect usage; should be “compliment.”

Common Questions

1. Can “complimentary” ever be used as a noun?

   • No. “Complimentary” is only an adjective. If you need a noun for praise, use “compliment.”

2. Is “compliment” ever an adjective?

   • No. “Compliment” is a noun or verb. To describe something that gives praise, use the adjective “complimentary.”

3. When someone says “complimentary remark,” do they mean free remark?

   • No. “Complimentary remark” means a remark expressing praise, not free. The “free” meaning applies to things like services/items, not to “remark.”

4. If a hotel advertises “complimentary breakfast,” is it praising breakfast?

   • No, it means the breakfast is provided free of charge.

Cultural Note

• In many customer-service contexts (hotels, airlines, restaurants), you will often see “complimentary” meaning free: e.g., “complimentary Wi-Fi,” “complimentary welcome drink,” “complimentary shuttle service.” Recognizing this usage is useful when traveling or reading promotional materials.
• When giving feedback or saying thank you, remember to use “compliment.” For example, “I’d like to compliment you on your English skills” or “Thank you for the compliment.”

Practice Quiz

Choose the best answer:

1. “The manager gave me a _ about my punctuality.”
   a) complimentary
   b) compliment
2. “Guests can enjoy _ access to the spa.”
   a) compliment
   b) complimentary
3. “It’s very _ of you to say such encouraging words.”
   a) compliment
   b) complimentary
4. “They _ her on winning the award.”
   a) complimented
   b) complimentery
5. “Is breakfast ______ with the room booking?”
   a) compliment
   b) complimentary

Answers

1. b) compliment
2. b) complimentary
3. b) complimentary (meaning “kind/praising”)
4. a) complimented
5. b) complimentary

Tips for Remembering

• Mnemonic for “compliment”: Think of “I give you a mint of praise” (com-PLIMENT).
• Mnemonic for “complimentary” (free): The “ary” ending can remind you of an “array” of free items (e.g., “complimentary items”).
• When in doubt about praising vs. free, check:
  • If you can substitute “free” or “at no charge,” use “complimentary.”
  • If you can substitute “praise” or “admire,” use “compliment” (noun/verb) or the adjective “complimentary” for “expressing praise.”

Summary

• Compliment (noun/verb) → to praise or the praise itself.
• Complimentary (adjective) → (1) free of charge; (2) expressing praise (used before nouns like “complimentary comment”).
• Watch out for incorrect substitutions; always check the context (praise vs. cost).

Homework

1. Find three examples online (news articles, websites, advertisements) that use complimentary. Identify whether each means “free” or “praising.”
2. Write a short paragraph (5–6 sentences) describing something complimentary you received recently (a praise you heard) and something complimentary you enjoyed (a free service/item). Use both words correctly.
3. Record yourself reading aloud the example sentences in this lesson. Focus on stress and pronunciation of “compliment” vs. “complimentary.”
4. Quiz yourself or ask a friend to quiz you: give you sentences with a blank, and you choose the correct word.

Feel free to ask questions if any point is unclear or if you want more practice! Keep practicing, and over time the difference will become natural. Good luck!