Look at these examples to see how although, even though, in spite of and despite are used.
Although we don't agree, I think she's a brilliant speaker.
Even though we don't agree, I think she's a brilliant speaker.
In spite of the law, people continue to use mobile phones while driving.
Despite the law, people continue to use mobile phones while driving.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
Although, even though, in spite of and despite are all used to link two contrasting ideas or show that one fact makes the other fact surprising. They can all be used at the beginning or in the middle of the sentence.
Despite the rain, we enjoyed the festival.
We enjoyed the festival, despite the rain.
The main difference between although, even though, in spite of and despite is that they are used with different structures.
in spite of / despite
After in spite of and despite, we use a noun, gerund (-ing form of a verb) or a pronoun.
They never made much money, in spite of their success.
In spite of the pain in his leg, he completed the marathon.
Despite having a headache, I had a great birthday.
The train was cancelled. In spite of that, we arrived on time.
Note that it is common to use in spite of and despite with the expression the fact that, followed by a subject and verb.
In spite of the fact that he worked very hard, he didn't pass the exam.
Despite the fact that he worked very hard, he didn't pass the exam.
although / even though
After although and even though, we use a subject and a verb. Even though is slightly stronger and more emphatic than although.
I enjoyed the course, although I would have liked more grammar practice.
Although we saw each other every day, we didn't really know each other.
Even though she spoke very quietly, he understood every word.
She didn't get the job, even though she had all the necessary qualifications.
though
Though can be used in the same way as although.
Though I wasn't keen on the film, I thought the music was beautiful.
Though can also go at the end of the second phrase. This way of expressing contrasting ideas is most common in spoken English.
We waited ages for our food. The waiter was really nice, though.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
Hello flower_dem,
I think despite and in spite of (three words, not one as in your question) are interchangeable; you can use either without it making any difference.
I would say that even though is stronger than although. It signals a more extreme contrast.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello AdrianH,
'Despite' needs to be followed by a direct object. This can be a noun or a gerund (verb-ing).
You could say this:
Alternatively, you could use a different linking device:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Alaa El Baddini
'although' is correct here. To use 'despite', it would be better to say 'Despite the fact that running his business is risky'. Saying 'Despite running' sounds unnatural because of the clause with a verb that follows it.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Claudia,
Saying 'despite running his business is risky' sounds unnatural since 'running his business is risky' is a clause. If it were just 'despite the risks of running his business' (which is not a clause because 'running' is not a finite verb), that would be OK. But if we keep the clause 'running his business is risky', it's best to say 'despite the fact that running his business is risky'. That's probably what most people would say in this situation.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello ohfah,
The rules for comma usage are much less fixed than I think you are assuming. A comma is not necessary when the dependent clause follows the independent clause, but one can often be used at the writer's discretion to show a degree of hesitation or reflection.
The sentence you quoted is a good example of this, and I think the version with the comma is far more natural and appropriate than the alternative with a semi-colon, which would strike the majority of people, I think, as rather overwrought.
A comma splice is the use of a comma to join two independent clauses. I don't see any examples of this in the text.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello H_L,
I'm afraid we don't have anything specifically on punctuation other than this page on capital letters and apostrophes:
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/intermediate-to-upper-intermediate/capital-letters-and-apostrophes
We will add more content on this topic in the future, I think.
You can find a lot of information on this online. The best source is often style guides. The Wikipedia Manual of Style is good and can be easily searched:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia%3aManual_of_Style
The Guardian and Observer style guide is also helpful:
https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-observer-style-guide-a
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Sidra
I'm afraid I'm not sure what you mean. The sentence is grammatically correct and is a complete sentence. Without knowing what 'that' means, however, I can't say whether it makes sense. I expect it would make sense in context.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello atya
As is explained above, 'though' can be used to mean 'however' (to contrast two ideas). It can go at the end of a sentence, especially in spoken English. You can see more examples on this page.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello itspb008,
The short answer is that you can't know this purely from looking at the words. English has no subject or object markings for nouns, so you have to look at the sentence in which they are used and identify their roles in it.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello mukuljain,
Despite and although both show contrast, but they are used differently in the sentence.
Despite is a preposition and is followed by an object.
Although is a conjunction and is followed by a clause.
In the example, a clause follows the gap and so despite is not possible. You would need to say despite the fact that to introduce a clause, where the fact is an object.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team