Grammar fix
pay a compliment
give praise
to say something nice to someone to show you admire or appreciate them.
collocationB1occasional
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
She paid me a compliment on my presentation, which made me feel more confident.
In my opinion, it’s important to pay a compliment when someone does a good job because it encourages them.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: He paid me a complement.
Say: He paid me a compliment.
'Compliment' (praise) vs 'complement' (something that completes) — different words.
Which sounds natural?
Tap the one a native speaker would say.
'Bestow a compliment upon' is archaic; 'pay a compliment' is the set phrase.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
pay a compliment
- pay a compliment
- pay her a compliment
- a nice compliment
- take it as a compliment