Although, though, despite, in spite of. Worksheets on Vocabulary. Vocabulary Worksheets for ESL. Free eBook and Free printable PDF.
Although, though, despite, in spite of
Although, though, despite, in spite of
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
After although, we use a subject and a verb.
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.
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.
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org
Exercises
EXERCISE 1.
Fill in the blank with although, though, despite, or in spite of.
- ____________ you hurt me, I forgive you.
- ____________ the rain, they went swimming in the lake.
- ____________ Karen lived in Portugal for 3 years when she was a child, she can’t speak any Portuguese today.
- Tyler competed in the marathon __________ he has only one leg.
- Bianca did very well on the test _______ the fact that she didn’t study much.
- Deborah wants to get a tattoo __________ her parents’ opposition to it.
- ____________ the fact that she’s hungry, she won’t eat because she’s on a diet.
- ____________ Pablo’s joke was funny, the teacher didn’t laugh at it.
- David went outside in a T-shirt __________ the weather was very cold.
EXERCISE 2.
Do the following quiz. There is only one correct answer per question.
- Â Â Do you love me?
- I love you although your faults.
- I love you although you have no faults.
- I love you in spite of your faults.
-   Do you think I’m crazy?
- I know you are crazy, despite that everybody thinks you are normal.
- I know you are crazy, although everybody thinks you are normal.
- I know you are crazy, in spite of everybody thinks you are normal.
- Who won the most recent Presidential election in America?
- George Bush, in spite of he did not win the popular vote.
- George Bush, though he did not win the popular vote.
- George Bush, despite he did not win the popular vote.
- What do you think will happen in the next Italian elections?
- Despite all Berlusconi’s advertising, Rutelli will win.
- In spite of Berlusconi has advertised so much, Rutelli will win.
- Although all Berlusconi’s advertising, Rutelli will win.
BROWSE THE EBOOK ONLINE OR DOWNLOAD THE PDF FOR FREE
All downloads are in PDF format
