What does complaint mean?
Word: Complaint
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Complaint means a statement that something is wrong or not good enough. It can also mean a minor illness, such as a stomach complaint.
Synonyms: grievance, protest, objection
Antonyms: praise
How do you spell complaint?
Syllables: com - plaint
Tricky part: The long a sound is spelt ai, as in rain. Students write complant or compleint.
Watch out for: complant, complaynt, compleint
Memory tip: The ai in complaint is the same ai as in paint and rain.
Complaint in a sentence
Example 1: Mrs Rao made a complaint about the noisy generator.
Example 2: The school received a complaint about the broken swing.
Example 3: My only complaint about the trip was the long bus ride.
Fun Fact
Complaint goes back to the Latin plangere, to weep or lament aloud, so a complaint was first a cry of sorrow before it became a statement that something is wrong.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
complaint
a) grumble
b) fuss
c) compliment
d) moan
Show answer
c) compliment. Grumble, moan and fuss all find fault; a compliment praises.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) apolagy
b) complaint
c) quarel
d) argumant
Show answer
b) complaint. Apology has an o after the l, argument ends in ent and quarrel has a double r.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
c_mplain_
a) o, d
b) o, t
c) u, t
d) a, t
Show answer
b) o, t. The first vowel is an o, and the noun ends in t, unlike the verb.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
commplaint
a) m
b) l
c) o
d) p
Show answer
a) m. Complaint has only one m.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which sentence uses complaint correctly?
a) He complainted loudly.
b) They will complaint tomorrow.
c) The hotel guest made a complaint about the dirty room.
d) She complaint about the food.
Show answer
c) The hotel guest made a complaint about the dirty room.
2. A diner speaks to the waiter. Which remark is a complaint?
a) We will come here again soon.
b) Thank you for a lovely meal.
c) My soup is cold and far too salty.
d) Could I see the menu, please?
Show answer
c) My soup is cold and far too salty.
