When using the word “complete,” we’re able to use it as a verb or an adjective. Depending on how we use it, the spelling changes between “complete” and “completed.” This article will look at the difference and how to use them.”
What Is The Difference Between Complete And Completed?
You should use “complete” as an adjective when talking about something that is whole or full (i.e., “my work here is complete”). You should use “completed” as a verb when talking about something you have finished (i.e., “this has been completed”).
The definition of “complete” as an adjective, according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “containing all the parts or pieces; whole.”
The definition of “completed” as a verb, according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “to make whole or perfect.”
Is It “Is Complete” Or “Is Completed”?
It might help you to see a visualization of the two phrases to see which is more common. You’ll be surprised to learn that they’re almost identical in common usage across the board in English.
According to this graph, both “is complete” and “is completed” are correct. They’re about as popular as each other, though “is complete” is slightly more popular.
“Is complete” is most likely more popular because it uses “is” and “complete” as an adjective to describe something. For example:
- The job is complete.
Here, the noun “job” is modified by “complete” because it’s an adjective.
We might use “is completed,” but it uses the verb form, which doesn’t modify the noun in the same way, which is why it’s slightly less popular:
- The job is completed.
While this still works, it doesn’t hold the same finality that “is complete” does, and the adjective description is missing.
Examples Of How To Use “Complete” In A Sentence
Let’s go over some examples of using the two words. We’ll start with “complete” in the adjective form. We might use it in this way to describe a common noun or another word.
- The job is complete, and we don’t have to continue.
- This is complete, and I thank you for your time.
- You’re a complete mess! You know that, right?
- Mission complete! Well done, everyone!
- This is already complete; I don’t know what else you want me to do.
- I told you it was complete; please don’t ask for more.
- This is complete, so let’s move on.
“Complete” is an adjective used to modify a noun in the sentence. We use “is” or “was” before it when we do this, and it helps us to define what we’re talking about.
Examples Of How To Use “Completed” In A Sentence
“Completed” is the verb form, but it’s still relatively common to use. It’ll help you to see it written down so you understand when you might be able to use it for yourself.
- I told you, we’ve completed the task, and we’re ready for more.
- Have you completed what I asked of you?
- This has been completed already!
- We completed that, which is why it’s ticked off.
- I made sure that I completed these things before I left for my vacation.
- My work has been completed, so I can leave.
- Once completed, you should sign out, so we know not to contact you again.
“Completed” is a verb, allowing us to use an auxiliary before it like “have” to show that we’re writing in the present perfect tense. It works well when we’re taking the action of “finishing” a task.
Complete – Synonyms
We might also benefit from learning a few alternatives to “complete.” That way, if you’re struggling with the differences between the verb and adjective form, you can choose one of these to make your life easier.
- Finished
- Done
- Final
- Ended
- Concluded
- Finalized
- Accomplished
- Achieved
- Fulfilled
These synonyms work well to replace both “complete” and “completed” in a sentence. Most of them also come with the verb and adjective forms, making them completed replaceable.
Common Confusions About Complete Or Completed
If you’ve made mistakes before regarding “complete” and “completed,” you’re not alone. In fact, it’s remarkably common.
We’ll cover the common confusions you might come across when using “complete” and “completed” and explain what the correct version is and why.
Work Is Complete Or Completed?
“Work is complete” is correct when you want to describe work (a noun) as “complete” (an adjective). We rarely say “work is completed” because it doesn’t use the correct verb tenses.
- My work is complete, and I should go home.
Did You Complete Or Completed?
“Did you complete” is correct because it uses the past perfect tense to ask a question. We use the auxiliary verb “did,” which requires a present tense verb (“complete”) to work. “Did you completed” is never right for this reason.
- Did you complete the assignment I asked of you?
Mission Complete Or Completed?
“Mission complete” is correct because we’re modifying the noun (mission) to show that it is whole or finalized (complete). “Mission completed” achieves the same result, but it’s rarely used by native speakers.
- Mission complete! The beers are on me.
Once Complete Or Completed?
“Once completed” is correct because it refers to the action of “completing” a task. We have to finish it and then follow whatever orders come after “once completed.” “Once complete” is also correct but is less commonly seen.
- Once completed, I expect you to give me a full report.
- Once complete, make your way to the admin bay.
It Is Almost Complete Or Completed?
“It is almost complete” is correct because we use the adjective (complete) to modify the phrase and let the person know that we’re nearly finished with the project. “It is almost completed” is also correct, but it doesn’t work as well to convey the urgency of the task.
- It is almost complete, but I need more time.
- It is almost completed if you’ll allow me to finish.
Is Completed Or Has Completed?
“Has completed” is the correct verb tense to use and is the present perfect tense to talk about something that has been finished (“he has completed the task”). “Is completed” is wrong because we should use the adjective “complete” after “is” to modify the noun.
- He has completed the task you asked of him.
- This is complete.
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.
Consider a task (a computer science term), which can have three states:
- not yet started (queued)
- started (running)
- finished running
What word would be more correct for third state: «complete» or «completed»?
UPD: this word will be used as a table cell value in a column named «state».
asked May 24, 2016 at 8:56
VadikVadik
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Complete is kind of a tricky word to describe a task, because that word implies that a task can reach a pre-defined end state that meets certain conditions or criteria. But in programming, a task is usually much simpler than that. A task doesn’t usually have any end state beyond that it ran OK or didn’t run OK. And so I think completed — just meaning «finished» or «done» — is a better term to describe a task that is done running.
answered May 24, 2016 at 9:33
RingoRingo
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Complete:
fully constituted of all of its parts or steps, fully carried out, or thorough.
Completed:
to bring to an end or a perfected status.
Therefore, something is complete, or something has been or was completed.
However, in a lot of cases, you can use either.
In your case, I would use completed, to be consistent with the other terms you used (queued, started, finished…), and it sounds better as a standalone word for a state or attribute.
answered May 24, 2016 at 9:10
MorganFRMorganFR
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I work in a Software company and the terms we use the most to notify the completion of an ongoing process or task would be:
- Completed
- Closed
- Terminated (Used most often for a bug issue or a problem)
- Ended/ Concluded (very vague)
Out of which, the most used terms are ‘Completed‘ and ‘Closed‘. For a technical process or a task, we use ‘closed‘ more commonly.
answered May 24, 2016 at 9:38
Varun NairVarun Nair
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I would use completed in a verbal structure, and complete as an adjective. Here’s a dumb example:
The task has been completed, it is now complete.
I can’t guarantee you this is the right way to use them though, hoping for some feedback.
answered May 24, 2016 at 9:07
AzamiAzami
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In the context, they both are quite similar in meaning. However, the adjective «complete» refers to a state of completeness, whereas passive form of the verb «to complete» suggests a finished action/process. Since the state of the task is a finished/completed process, I would, too, use «completed».
answered May 24, 2016 at 9:45
Victor B.Victor B.
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I think it should be ‘completed‘. Just like ‘finished‘.
Varun Nair
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answered May 24, 2016 at 8:59
Complete is a state of being; there is nothing that can be added or changed. Whereas completed is an act of completion — the task that was set has now been fulfilled. For example «The Bible is complete and has been completed».
answered Feb 8, 2019 at 21:37
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I have the big job of pulling together the weekly status report for my team. Many items are wrapping up in the construction and commissioning section, and the question today from the Peanut Gallery is:
“Which is right? Action Item A is completed? Or Action Item A was completed?”
The word “complete” is both an adjective and a transitive verb.
As an adjective, “complete” means fully constituted of all of its parts or steps, fully carried out, or thorough.
Examples:
The Starship Enterprise made out of Lego blocks is finally complete.
Mary is planning a complete renovation of her kitchen.
As a transitive verb, “complete” means to bring to an end or a perfected status.
Examples:
The contractor completed the foundation work on Tuesday.
The football quarterback completed a 75-yard pass for the touchdown.
Therefore, something is complete, or something has been or was completed.
Therefore, Action Item A is complete (adjective), or Action Item A was completed (past tense verb). Action Item A “is completed” is wrong, although “is being completed” or “is going to be completed” are proper verb forms.
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#1
Aspect in a verb shows whether the action or state is complete or not:
Aspect — Definition of Aspect — UsingEnglish.com
Is «complete » an adjective or state ? How do we differentiate?
Would the passive «is completed or not» be ungrammatical in the context and change the meaning?
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#2
Aspect in a verb shows whether the action or state is complete or not:
Aspect — Definition of Aspect — UsingEnglish.com
Is «complete » an adjective or state ? How do we differentiate?
Would the passive «is completed or not» be ungrammatical in the context and change the meaning?
You need to put more detail into this because I cannot really tell what you are asking as the moment.
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#3
«Aspect in a verb shows whether the action or state is complete or not:»
In the above «is complete» is used as to be plus an adjective but would «Aspect in a verb shows whether the action or state is completed or not:» (passive) be grammatically correct without changing the meaning in the given context?
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#4
Is «complete » an adjective or state ? How do we differentiate?
An aspect is basically the tense and form. The Lumen Learning website summarises «aspect»: Verbs | Boundless Writing
[The] aspect [of a verb] addresses whether or not the action takes place in a single block of time or if the action is continuous or repeated. [It] describes the action’s degree of progress or completion. The three main aspects are indefinite, progressive, and perfect.
Adjective and states are much the same thing — It is hot -> its state is one of being hot, and being hot is the continuous/progressive aspect of the verb to be.
We distinguish verb and adjective by examining the function of the word. The function is decided by the context. This is necessary because a single word can be a noun, a verb, an adjective, an adverb and/or a preposition, etc.
The past participle as an adjective always has the passive meaning «The completed collection was sold. = The collected that had been completed — the perfect aspect — (by the addition of a painting) was sold.
The adjective itself can be substituted for a non-verbal adjective «The complete collection was sold = The whole/entire collection was sold.
The collection is complete/entire/whole — the uninflected verb, e.g. «You complete the puzzle» is not able to be qualified by «is».
With the addition of this statue, the collection is completed/finished/done/ended
With the addition of this statue, the collection is complete whole/entire
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#6
An aspect is basically the tense and form. The Lumen Learning website summarises «aspect»: Verbs | Boundless Writing
The adjective itself can be substituted for a non-verbal adjective «The complete collection was sold = The whole/entire collection was sold.
The collection is complete/entire/whole — the uninflected verb, e.g. «You complete the puzzle» is not able to be qualified by «is».
With the addition of this statue, the collection is completed/finished/done/ended
With the addition of this statue, the collection is complete whole/entire
Is this «the system complete all recovery activity»? Can you please explain the blue part? Do you mean here it can be «the complete recovery activity….»?
«Finally, when all such recovery activity is complete, then (and only then) the system is ready to accept new work.»
An Introduction to Database Systems, 8th edition, C J Date
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#7
«Finally, when all such recovery activity is complete — complete = adjective — finished; whole, etc.
«Finally, when all such recovery activity is completed [by the system] — completed = passive participle of the verb.
Finally, the completed data can be used — completed = passive participle of the verb used as a reduced relative clause = that has been completed.
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#8
«Finally, when all such recovery activity is complete — complete = adjective — finished; whole, etc.
«Finally, when all such recovery activity is completed [by the system] — completed = passive participle of the verb.
Finally, the completed data can be used — completed = passive participle of the verb used as a reduced relative clause = that has been completed.
Many thanks.
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#9
«Finally, when all such recovery activity is complete — complete = adjective — finished; whole, etc.
«Finally, when all such recovery activity is completed [by the system] — completed = passive participle of the verb.
Finally, the completed data can be used — completed = passive participle of the verb used as a reduced relative clause = that has been completed.
Thanks, PaulQ
but I’m not clear if the 2nd version is only correct because of the word «When» in it?
Would it be still correct if I say, The job is completed, please release the payment.? (to mean work is done/finished)
Does this sound natural to use in business emails?
Which sentence is correct?
“Task A is complete.” or “Task A is completed.”
The word complete is both an adjective and a transitive verb.
As an adjective, complete means fully constituted of all of its parts or steps, fully carried out, or thorough.
Examples:
- The road construction is finally complete.
- Mary is planning a complete renovation of her kitchen.
- The system will reboot after the installation is complete.
As a transitive verb, complete means to bring to an end or a perfected status.
Examples:
- By 28 he completed his education and became an official, worked in different provincial courts.
- She completed her work.
- They completed the work in 3 days.
Therefore, something is complete, or something has been or was completed.
Therefore, Task A is complete (adjective), or Task A was completed (past tense verb).
Task A “is completed” is wrong, although “is being completed” or “is going to be completed” are proper verb forms.
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Posted: Wednesday, March 13, 2019 2:36:32 AM |
Joined: 11/3/2016
Posts: 4,421
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Aspect in a verb shows whether the action or state is complete or not:
https://www.usingenglish.com/glossary/aspect.html
Is «complete » an adjective or state ? How do we differentiate?
Would the passive «is completed or not» be ungrammatical in the context and change the meaning?
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Posted: Wednesday, March 13, 2019 6:11:35 AM |
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 9/21/2009
Posts: 47,927
Neurons: 676,083
Location: Helsinki, Southern Finland Province, Finland
Complete can be adjective or verb.
As an adjective it means that something has all the needed parts or elements, it’s full, entire — also something has come to an end, it’s concluded.
Past participle completed means something is done, accomplished. It means the action is finished, while the adjective expresses the state of it is in its final point.
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Posted: Wednesday, March 13, 2019 8:44:41 AM |
Joined: 9/16/2015
Posts: 4,319
Neurons: 525,010
Jigneshbharati wrote:
Aspect in a verb shows whether the action or state is complete or not:
https://www.usingenglish.com/glossary/aspect.html
Is «complete » an adjective or state ? How do we differentiate?
Would the passive «is completed or not» be ungrammatical in the context and change the meaning?
___________________________
«Complete» is an adjective. It describes the noun. In a sentence like «the work is complete», «is» is the state verb and «complete» (= finished) is an adjective.
«Complete» can also be used as a transitive action verb. The passive verb pattern will depend on the tense.
When «complete» is used in simple present indefinite, the passive pattern is «is/are + past participle(V3)» i.e. «is/are + completed» as in «They complete the task before going home».
The passive voice structure is «The task is completed by them before going home». In this sentence, «completed» is a past participle.
There is nothing ungrammatical in the passive voice pattern «is completed».
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Posted: Wednesday, March 13, 2019 2:43:29 PM |
Joined: 11/3/2016
Posts: 4,421
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Thanks. Can we replace «is complete» in «Aspect in a verb shows whether the action or state is complete or not:» with «is completed»?
I am really confused!
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Posted: Wednesday, March 13, 2019 9:06:48 PM |
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Hi!
I’m not sure how well I will explain this, but I’ll try.
You COULD replace the static clause «the action or state is complete» with a passive clause.
However, there are two considerations.
1. You have to choose the correct tense.
The «simple present» applies to the past, present and future equally. It is used for facts which are always true (Meat
is eaten
by most people), or for habits and repeated actions (Books
are read
more often than is commonly thought.)
Your original sentence is considering «a verb» and «the action» — it is one instance, not a habit or something repeated.
It is looking at something being — or not — so it is not a fact which is always true.
So the simple «is completed» cannot work.
For a single instance in the present, you use the perfect. The perfect passive would be:
«the action or state has been completed or not».
***
2. Sometimes, an action or state can be complete
without
anyone or anything having completed it.
In «The job is done», someone completed the job. That makes it simple to make a passive.
«Someone did the job» or «We did the job.»
In «The storm ended», there is no ‘someone or something’ which ended the storm. It just ended.
It’s impossible to make an active version «______ ended the storm».
You can say that the action or state (being stormy) is complete. («is» as a verb and «complete» as an adjective)
It doesn’t make sense to say that the action or state is completed. («is completed» as a passive verb) — No-one completed the state ‘being stormy’.
**************
So your answer is «No». The tense is wrong and, even if one corrected the tense, it does not make sense in all cases.
«Aspect in a verb shows whether the action or state is complete or not» is correct and true.
«Aspect in a verb shows whether the action or state has been completed or not» is only true for SOME sentences, not all sentences (it’s not true for sentences using an intransitive or linking verb).
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Posted: Thursday, March 14, 2019 1:14:32 AM |
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[quote=Jigneshbharati]Thanks. Can we replace «is complete» in «Aspect in a verb shows whether the action or state is complete or not:» with «is completed»?
I am really confused
Rank: Advanced Member
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Jigneshbharati wrote:
Thanks. Can we replace «is complete» in «Aspect in a verb shows whether the action or state is complete or not:» with «is completed»?
I am really confused!
The adjective «complete» has a technical definition in the discussion of grammar that refers to a specific property within the category of Aspect. In this context, the words «complete» and «completed» are not interchangeable like they can be in everyday speech.
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Posted: Thursday, March 14, 2019 2:33:23 AM |
Joined: 11/3/2016
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Thank you!!!!!!!
complete | completed |
As verbs the difference between complete and completed
is that complete is to finish; to make done; to reach the end while completed is past tense of complete.
As adjectives the difference between complete and completed
is that complete is with all parts included; with nothing missing; full while completed is finished.
Other Comparisons: What’s the difference?
completeEnglishAlternative forms* compleat (archaic) Verb(complet)
Usage notes* This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing) . See Synonyms* accomplish Adjective(en-adj) , title=Well-connected Brains , volume=100, issue=2, page=171 , magazine=(American Scientist) citation , passage=Creating a complete map of the human connectome would therefore be a monumental milestone but not the end of the journey to understanding how our brains work.}} , passage=In the eyes of Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke the apotheosis of the Celebrity was complete . The people of Asquith were not only willing to attend the house-warming, but had been worked up to the pitch of eagerness. The Celebrity as a matter of course was master of ceremonies.}} Synonyms* (with everything included) entire, total Derived terms* bicomplete References |
completedEnglishVerb(head)
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Our first training session is complete or completed.
First training session complete or completed.
Thanks.
- anonymous
- answer
Comments
Thanks. What about if I want to say: my and not our training session is completed. That is why I write the second sentence without ‘our’.
Can I use the first sentence as you suggested but without our or what?
- anonymous
- add a comment
Dear teacher, sorry to bother you but I know that ‘my first training session is completed’ is the correct one fir complete sentences. How about if I want to use it as the title of my subject, should it be in a complete sentence, or is there a shorter version such as the ones you edited? What do you suggest? I just want to state that the first training session is completed, and that is way I wrote, first training session completed. Would that be acceptable as a tittle or please tell me what to use?
- anonymous
- add a comment
Thanks. Last question, just curious for later use, would the addition of completed at the end be possible, due to posting a pic of a client that I have just finished training?
- anonymous
- add a comment
A picture is irrelevant. A title should be as short as possible. If you want to use your original in spite of our advice, why ask us at all?
- Mister Micawber
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