The word "complements" is spelled with a "p" instead of a "m" because it comes from the Latin word "complere," meaning "to fill up or complete." In English, the spelling "m" in "complete" comes from its Old French origin, "complet," which is a variation of the Latin word "complere." Therefore, the correct spelling in English follows the original Latin root of "complements" with a "p," even though it might seem counterintuitive. The IPA phonetic transcription for "complements" is /ˈkɒmplɪmənts/.
Complements, in the context of grammar and linguistics, refer to words or phrases that complete the meaning of a verb or a noun. They provide additional information about the subject or object of a sentence, allowing for a more detailed and comprehensive description.
In terms of verbs, complements can take the form of direct objects, indirect objects, or object complements. A direct object is a noun or noun phrase that directly receives the action of the verb. For example, in the sentence "She bought a book," the noun "book" is the direct object complement, completing the meaning of the verb "bought" by indicating what was bought.
An indirect object is a noun or noun phrase that indicates the recipient of the action. For instance, in the sentence "He gave his mother a present," the noun phrase "his mother" is the indirect object complement, providing additional information about who received the gift.
Object complements, on the other hand, are words or phrases that modify or complete the direct object of a verb. They can be adjectives or nouns. For example, in the sentence "They made him the captain," the noun phrase "the captain" is the object complement, elaborating on the direct object "him" by specifying the role or position he was assigned.
In summary, complements serve to enhance and round out the descriptive power of verbs and nouns, supplying crucial information about various aspects such as objects, recipients, and attributes in a sentence.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "complements" derives from the Latin term "complementum", which means "completion" or "fullness". The word first entered the English language in the late 14th century, initially referring to something that completes or perfects another thing. Over time, "complement" took on various meanings, including that of completing a couple or a whole, or forming a harmonious match. It eventually evolved into the plural form "complements", commonly used to describe things that go together well or enhance each other.