Contrasting ideas: 'although', 'despite' and others
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.
It's illegal to use mobile phones while driving. People still do it, though.
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.
very useful, thank you
Hallo guys, I want to ask about this question
_____ she's arriving late, she still wants to eat when she gets here.
Why the answer is "Although" .
Because on my view the sentence " she's arriving" (-gerund) should go after despite ot in spite of.
Thank you
Hello ochaw,
You're correct that despite and in spite of are followed by -ing forms (gerunds):
Despite arriving late... / In spite of arriving late...
However, in this sentence she's arriving is not a gerund. The gerund is an -ing form without any subject or auxiliary verb as in the examples above. Here she's arriving is present continuous (she is arriving). It has a subject (she) and an auxiliary verb (is) before the -ing form.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
What I have understood is that all these terms express contrast, "despite" focuses on the noun/gerund, while "although," "even though," and "though" focus on clauses. The distinction lies in emphasis and structure rather than meaning...................Please correct me if I am wrong. Thanks
Hello Farhat-R,
You're right in what you say about what follows the various linkers (noun/gerund vs clause). However, there is also a difference in terms of meaning. For example:
Here we have two pieces of information which contain a contrast: a lot of people would not go running when it is cold and wet. We can see it like this:
Different contrasting linkers are used before each of these. For example:
Other linkers like although include (even) though, in spite of (the fact that), despite (the fact that), notwithstanding (the fact that)
Other linkers like nevertheless include nonetheless, however, even so, despite that, in spite of that, regardless
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
A: What would your dream home look like?
B: I don't really care, but I want to have an outdoor grill.
A: So, you want to have a grill regardless of your accommodation being a flat, a house, or a hut in the woods.
B: Not a hut, I guess, but regardless of it being a house or a flat.
Can 'regardless accommodation/it being' be used in these sentences?
Thank you
Hello Tony,
Yes. Regardless of is followed by an object (since 'of' is a preposition one must follow) and this can be an -ing form. If we want to indicate who the -ing form describes then we can use an object pronoun or (in a rather old-fashioned form) a possessive adjective:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Yes
Hello Team,
I won the race ---------coming last in the practice run
I'm not clear with in spite of what about even though please explain for me
Hello Kasgentle,
'in spite of' is correct here; you could also say 'despite'. 'even though' has the right meaning, but it's not correct to use a verb in the '-ing' form after 'even though'. Instead, we use a subject + verb. 'I won the race even though I came last in the practice run' would be correct because it has 'I came' instead of 'coming'.
Does that make sense?
All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team