Although, even though, in spite of and despite – English Grammar Exercise

Although, even though, in spite of and despite are all used to connect two different concepts or can even be used similarly to ‘nevertheless’, in that one of the ideas makes the other a surprising outcome. They can all be placed at any stage of a sentence.

E.g. Even though I slept for 10 hours, I’m still tired.

I’m still tired, even though I slept for 10 hours.

 The biggest difference between all of these words/phrases is that they are used with alternate sentence structures.

Although/Even Though

After although and even though, we use a subject and then a verb. They have the same meaning, but even though is stronger than although.

For example:

We liked the restaurant, although the service could have been better.
Although I use the car every day, I don’t actually like driving.
Even though they spoke different languages, they somehow communicated effectively.
She got a job in marketing even though she didn’t have any experience.

In Spite of/Despite

After in spite of and despite, we use a noun, gerund verb (-ing) or a pronoun.

For example:

He still jumped out of a plane for charity, in spite of his fear.
In spite of their age, my grandparents want to travel the world.
Despite having bad reviews, the movie was excellent.

We arrived late to the airport despite leaving on time.

 It is also very common to put the fact that after both despite and in spite of, followed by a subject and verb.

For example:

In spite of the fact that she always works overtime, she didn’t get the promotion.
Despite the fact that she always works overtime, she didn’t get the promotion.

Though

Though is slightly more complicated than the rest, as it is more flexible.

Firstly, it can be used in the same way as although.

For example:

Though I didn’t think I liked classical music, the opera was beautiful.

Although I didn’t think I liked classical music, the opera was beautiful.

However, it is also very common for though to be used at the end of the second sentence. This is a popular way for English speakers to express a contrasting idea or concept. Placing though at the end of the sentence is only used in spoken English and should not be used in formal writing.

For example:

The train arrived late as always. The carriages were extremely clean, though.

I didn’t study for the test at all. I still passed, though!

So now you’ve read the rules and seen some examples, do you think you can pass our quiz? Find out now!