Good compliments

One piece of advice I had heard for parenting was to compliment children correctly.  "You're very smart." or "That was smart." are bad compliments -and the former scans strangely to me; I don't think anyone would say that.

so, how should we be compliment people, young or young at heart?  Media Bistro has five suggestions and here are two of them:

1. Acknowledging incorrect facts. Whether a person’s name is acknowledged incorrectly or an achievement is miscommunicated, this one definitely lacks effectiveness. Fact check, please!
3. Being vague. Giving someone at pat on the back for a “good job” is simply too generic. The best way to boost morale? Point to specific behaviors so people know what they did right.

For children, my understanding is to offer compliments that are as specific as possible and also to praise a work ethic more than smarts.