Finish or Complete?
2023-06-24
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1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between "finish" and "complete."
2Hello VOA Learning English,
3My name is Bear Wang, and I am from China. I have a question.
4What is the difference between "finish" and "complete?"
5Looking forward to your reply.
6Thanks,
7Bear.
8Thank you for this great question, Bear.
9Both words share a similar meaning of "coming to an end," but there are small differences in their meanings as verbs.
10They can be used as different parts of speech. We often use them in different situations. Let's look at the differences more closely.
11"Finish" as a verb means "to come to an end or close."
12We can use it with or without a direct object.
13The school day finishes at three in the afternoon. (No direct object)
14We finished dinner then watched a movie before going to bed. (With a direct object)
15"Finish" can also mean the final ranking of teams or players in a competition.
16The basketball team finished 2nd in the state championship.
17Another meaning of "finish" as a verb is to defeat, ruin, or even kill:
18The criminal charges finished his hopes of a political career.
19In the video game, Mortal Kombat, players can perform a kill action to finish off their opponent.
20The word "finish" can also be a noun that means "something that perfects or completes" such as the appearance of the surface of a material.
21"Finish" can even be used to describe the taste of a drink or food in the mouth.
22His house has many well-made finishes on its marble countertops and hardwood floors.
23The finish of the wine is fruity and fresh.
24Let's move onto "complete."
25"Complete" as a verb has a similar meaning to "finish," but instead of just "to end," it means "finish making or doing something in its entirety."
26We can use it with a direct object.
27She completed her bachelor's degree last May.
28Kaitlyn completed reading the series of over twelve books!
29"Complete" also means to make something perfect or whole.
30The shoes complete Daria's outfit for her brother's wedding.
31The band completed their final set with one of their most popular songs.
32As a verb, "complete" means to fill in all the questions on a form.
33The doctor reminded the patient to complete both sides of the health history form.
34And lastly, "complete" can be used as an adjective.
35It has several meanings as this part of speech.
36It can mean "having all steps or parts." It can mean "total," "thorough," or "whole."
37And "complete" can also signify that something has "ended" or "finished."
38The writing assignment is not complete until you return the second draft to your teacher with corrections.
39Her day always feels complete after she reads a book in bed.
40Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Bear.
41What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
42And that's Ask a Teacher.
43I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between "finish" and "complete." 2Question: 3Hello VOA Learning English, 4My name is Bear Wang, and I am from China. I have a question. What is the difference between "finish" and "complete?" 5Looking forward to your reply. 6Thanks, 7Bear. 8Answer: 9Thank you for this great question, Bear. 10Both words share a similar meaning of "coming to an end," but there are small differences in their meanings as verbs. They can be used as different parts of speech. We often use them in different situations. Let's look at the differences more closely. 11"Finish" as a verb means "to come to an end or close." We can use it with or without a direct object. 12The school day finishes at three in the afternoon. (No direct object) 13We finished dinner then watched a movie before going to bed. (With a direct object) 14"Finish" can also mean the final ranking of teams or players in a competition. 15The basketball team finished 2nd in the state championship. 16Another meaning of "finish" as a verb is to defeat, ruin, or even kill: 17The criminal charges finished his hopes of a political career. 18In the video game, Mortal Kombat, players can perform a kill action to finish off their opponent. 19The word "finish" can also be a noun that means "something that perfects or completes" such as the appearance of the surface of a material. "Finish" can even be used to describe the taste of a drink or food in the mouth. 20His house has many well-made finishes on its marble countertops and hardwood floors. 21The finish of the wine is fruity and fresh. 22Let's move onto "complete." 23"Complete" as a verb has a similar meaning to "finish," but instead of just "to end," it means "finish making or doing something in its entirety." 24We can use it with a direct object. 25She completed her bachelor's degree last May. 26Kaitlyn completed reading the series of over twelve books! 27"Complete" also means to make something perfect or whole. 28The shoes complete Daria's outfit for her brother's wedding. 29The band completed their final set with one of their most popular songs. 30As a verb, "complete" means to fill in all the questions on a form. 31The doctor reminded the patient to complete both sides of the health history form. 32And lastly, "complete" can be used as an adjective. It has several meanings as this part of speech. It can mean "having all steps or parts." It can mean "total," "thorough," or "whole." And "complete" can also signify that something has "ended" or "finished." 33The writing assignment is not complete until you return the second draft to your teacher with corrections. 34Her day always feels complete after she reads a book in bed. 35Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Bear. 36What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com 37And that's Ask a Teacher. 38I'm Faith Pirlo. 39Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 40___________________________________________________________________ 41Words in This Story 42ranking - n. a position in a list that shows things or people of importance 43marble - n. a kind of stone that is often polished and used in buildings and statues 44entirety - n. the whole or total amount of a material or result of an action 45set - n. a sequence of songs performed together for a live concert or recording 46draft - n. a version of a document that is made in preparation for the final version 47___________________________________________________________________ 48Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 49Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.