2020-08-29
170407-3 คำชวนสับสน ในการใช้ ชุด C – Complement & compliment
การใช้ภาษาอังกฤษ ที่ถือว่า ถูกต้อง ในที่นี้ เป็นไป ตามมาตรฐาน ของภาษา
ภาษาอังกฤษ ไม่กำหนดมาตฐาน ถือตามส่วนใหญ่ ที่ใช้แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจยืดหยุ่น ขึ้นอยู่กับ ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง “complement” และ “compliment”
คล้ายกันมาก โดย
เสียงสั้นกว่า นาม เมื่อเป็น กริยา
นาม = “KOM-pluh-muh nt”
กริยา = “KOM-pluh-ment”
ใน British English ออกเสียง “PLI”
และ US English ออกเสียง “PLE” ทั้งเมื่อเป็น นาม และ กริยา
Dictionary.com
SYNONYM STUDY FOR COMPLEMENT
Complement, supplement both mean to make additions to something.
To complement is to provide something felt to be lacking or needed;
it is often applied to putting together two things, each of which supplies what is lacking in the other, to make a complete whole:
Two statements from different points of view may complement each other.
To supplement is merely to add to:
Some additional remarks may supplement his address.
Dictionary.com
WORDS OFTEN CONFUSED WITH COMPLEMENT
Complement and compliment, which are pronounced alike and originally shared some meanings, have become separate words with entirely different meanings.
As a noun, complement means “something that completes or makes perfect”:
The rare old brandy was a perfect complement to the delicious meal.
As a verb, complement means “to complete”:
A bright scarf complements a dark suit.
The noun compliment means “an expression of praise, commendation, or admiration”:
The members paid her the compliment of a standing ovation.
The verb compliment means “to pay a compliment to”: Everyone complimented him after the recital.
Collins COBUILD English Usage Dictionary
อธิบายว่า ใช้ “complement” และ “compliment” เป็น นาม และ กริยา
เมื่อ “สิ่งหนึ่ง ‘complements’ อีกสิ่ง” หมายถึง
“ทั้งสองอย่างนั้น ช่วยเพิ่ม ‘คุณภาพที่ดี’ ของกันและกัน” เมื่อนำมารวมกัน เช่น
‘Nutmeg, parsley and cider all complement the flavor of these beans well.’
‘Current advances in hardware development nicely complement British software skills.’
เมื่อ “คุณ ‘compliment’ บางคน” หมายถึง
คุณ “บอกพวกเขาว่า ‘คุณชื่นชม’ บางสื่ง ที่พวกเขามี หรือบางสิ่งที่พวกเขาทำ” เช่น
‘They complimented me on the way I looked.’
‘She is to be complimented for handling the situation so well.’
และว่า “compliment” คือ “บางสิ่งที่คุณทำ หรือกล่าว กับบางคน”
เพื่อแสดงความชื่นชม ที่คุณมี กับพวกเขา เช่น
‘You say that you pay someone a compliment.’
‘He knew that he had just been paid a great compliment.’
American Heritage Dictionary
ให้ข้อสังเกต การใช้ “complement” และ “compliment”
อาจ สับสนจากเสียงที่คล้ายกัน หากแต่ ความหมาย แตกต่าง ชัดเจน
เมื่อใช้ “complement” เป็น นาม หมายถึง
“บางสิ่ง ที่สมบูรณ์หรือนำสู่ความครบถ้วนสมบูรณ์” (complete/perfection) เช่น
‘The antique silver was a complement to the beautifully set table.’
เมื่อใช้ “complement” เป็น กริยา หมายถึง
‘to serve as a complement to.’
และ นาม “compliment” หมายถึง
“การแสดง/การกระทำ ที่แสดงมารยาท/ยกย่อง” เช่น
‘They gave us a compliment on our beautifully set table.’
ขณะที่ เป็น กริยา “compliment” หมายถึง
‘to pay a compliment to.’
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Is it complement or compliment?
Today there is no overlap between the meanings of complement and compliment, as either nouns or verbs,
but their similar spellings and pronunciations make them prime candidates for confusion.
Despite the difference in their meanings, both complement and compliment have roots in the Latin word complēre which means “to complete.”
Complement remains true to that origin in its spelling and in its meanings that have to do with completing or completion.
Keep that connection in mind and there should be no question as to whether complement or compliment is the correct word to use in a given context.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Usage Notes
'Complement' vs. 'Compliment'
The distinction between the two is clear (now).
What to Know
Though both come from the Latin word complēre (meaning "to complete"),
complement continues to refer to something that completes something else,
while compliment has branched off to refer courtesy "especially in the form of admiration, esteem, or approval,"
such as when paying someone a compliment for an achievement or for how they look.
Oh, English. You're such a wily creature.
If we can agree about that remark expressing admiration (rest assured, it does), do we call it a complement? Or a compliment?
The correct word is compliment, but complement finds itself plunked into such contexts from time to time, making this confusion between the two words a matter worth our consideration.
Both compliment and complement ultimately have their roots in the Latin word complēre, meaning "to complete."
The word complement took a rather direct route, entering Middle English from the Latin complementum, which itself came directly from complēre.
Compliment, on the other hand, came to English from Middle French by way of Italian and a Spanish word meaning "to be courteous" and "to perform what is due," that Spanish word being a modification of complēre.
Complement Usage
The link between complement and complēre is visible in the modern uses of complement and is therefore helpful in remembering the territory the word covers.
A complement can be broadly understood as something that completes something else in some way.
Sometimes it completes by improving, as in "a hat that is an elegant complement to the suit,"
and sometimes it completes by filling a need, as in "a team with a full complement of players."
It's used in technical contexts too, such as medicine, grammar, and mathematics.
Complement is also a verb meaning "to complete or enhance by providing something additional."
Compliment Usage
Compliment is the more common of the pair.
Its etymological ties to courtesy are evident in its modern use,
where as a noun it most often refers to a remark that says something good about someone or something,
and as a verb it communicates the expression of such a remark.
We compliment someone on something they've done
—"What a beautiful drawing!"
—by offering them a compliment:
the statement about the beautiful drawing.
And that's really the crux of it:
complement is about completing,
and compliment is about courtesy especially in the form of admiration, esteem, or approval.
How neat and tidy it all is!
How this pair seems to challenge that "wily creature" characterization of the English language!
Except, um, we've left something out.
We do hope it won't be too devastating.
Here goes: the verb complement has an obsolete meaning synonymous with compliment, and another obsolete meaning of "to exchange formal courtesies."
And the noun complement too has wholly inappropriate (given the word's modern functions) obsolete meanings, among them "a social quality of accomplishment" and "something added for ornamentation."
The only comfort we can offer in the face of such facts is this:
English speakers were mostly done with all of these by the end of the 17th century.
English really is a wily creature.
In summary: If one thing complements (with an "e") another, it completes that thing (e.g., the shoes complete your outfit, or make it perfect).
Complement comes from the Latin word for complete.
The Farlex Grammar Book © 2016
complement
Complements are words or groups of words that are necessary to complete the meaning of another part of the sentence.
Complements act like modifiers to add additional meaning to the word or words they are attached to.
However, unlike adjunct modifiers, they do not add supplemental information
—they provide information that is necessary to achieve the intended meaning in the sentence.
Complements, even those that complete the meaning of the subject, are always part of the predicate.
