Categoria: B1-B2

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!

 

Although, even though, in spite of and despite | Fill in the Blank

Fill the empty spaces with the correct words/phrases

3rd Conditional – English Grammar Exercise

The third conditional is used when describing something that never happened, and then imagining the outcome of that situation.

The structure is: if + past perfect, would have + past participle

For example: “If she had studied, she would have passed the exam” (but she didn’t study, and therefore didn’t pass the exam).

The first action (If she had studied) did not happen. But if it had happened, the consequence would be that she would have passed the exam.

The 3rd conditional is relatively similar to the 2nd. However, the 2nd conditional describes something unrealistic or impossible in the present or future, the 3rd conditional refers to something that didn’t happen in the past.

For example:

“She wouldn’t have been tired if she had gone to bed earlier” (but she went to bed late, so she’s tired).

“If you hadn’t been late, we wouldn’t have missed the flight” (but you were late, so we missed the flight).

So now you’ve seen a few examples, why not test your knowledge with our quiz!

3rd Conditional exercise

Rewrite the sentences using the 3rd conditional

What do you think about the 3rd conditional? Do you find it easy or hard? Let us know what you think in the comments, and make sure to check out our other blog posts and English exercises!

My experience at Scrambled Eggs – Studying English at the age of 50 is still possible.

One of our longest-serving students, Adele, has this year discovered a great passion… writing… in English. She has been coming to the school for lessons for over three years and has always enjoyed her lessons with us. This year however, her passion for English writing developed and now she feels confident enough to share her experiences with you as a blogger. Read below about Adele’s experience and enjoy her fantastic writing!

I started my experience at Scrambled Eggs three years ago.
I was searching for an English course to improve my knowledge, my listening and speaking skills, when among several schools the name of a school caught my attention, Scrambled Eggs, what a particular name for a school!
The smart and innovative method to teach using the interactive board seemed right for me. I thought it was too difficult to study with books for hours after work, so I found this new method nice and simple.
The thing that certainly convinced me was the location. To think of studying English before or after an appetizer or a drink in Navigli, such a good location, could transform going to school into a pleasure.
I started my group course with a lot of difficulties in speaking but also in relationships with other students.
For a woman of my age to interact with young students, talking about different topics and also about my life was not easy, but the friendly atmosphere that I found helped me a lot.
The teachers are young, nice, smiley, well prepared, motivated and very motivating.

(Adele, left, thinking about her first novel)

They have the ability to motivate you to do even better and doing my homework I discovered my new passion: writing.
I couldn’t believe it! I like writing and I like writing in English!
Of course I improved speaking and listening as well!
In the school, teachers come from different countries and in three years I have met all of them. I’ve learnt to understand American and English accents and with their attitude and their approach to teaching they have contributed to improving my listening.

I have experienced also one-to-one lessons that helped me not only learning English but many other things.

Now even if I’m still not able to totally understand videos and news on the radio, I’m satisfied, I have started to enjoy the language and my studying English has become a pleasure!
My speaking is still confused, and I have to improve it again and again and certainly I’ll continue on my path. With Scrambled Eggs? Of course!