“In spite of “/ “Despite”
‘In spite of’ means is a phrase which follows noun or gerund.
Example: In spite of the rain, we went for a walk.
In spite of feeling tired, she kept working.
In spite of the pain in his leg, he completed the marathon.
The train was cancelled. In spite of that, we arrived on time.
‘Despite’ is conjunction which follows noun or noun phrases.
Example: Despite the rain, we went for a walk.
Despite feeling tired, she kept working.
Despite having a headache, I had a great birthday.
“Although” / “Even though”
Although means normal situations or sentences
Example: 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 I wasn’t keen on the film, I though the music was beautiful.
Even though means more emphasis or surprising situations
Example: Even though she spoke very quietly, he understood every word.
She didn't get the job, even though she had all the necessary qualifications.
Practice Test
A. Fill in the blanks with either "Although" or "Even though":
1. _______ it was raining heavily, we decided to go for a walk.
2. She kept working, _______ she was very tired.
3. _______ the movie was long, it was interesting.
4. We went to the park, _______ the weather wasn’t great.
5. He passed the exam, _______ he didn’t study much.
6. _______ the traffic was bad, we arrived on time.
7. The kids played outside, _______ it was cold.
8. _______ the food was expensive, we ate at the restaurant.
Practice Test:
A. Fill in the blanks with "Despite" or "In spite of"
1. _______ the rain, we went for a walk.
2. She finished the race _______ feeling exhausted.
3. _______ all his efforts, he couldn’t win the competition.
4. They had fun _______ the bad weather.
5. _______ being tired, he continued working.
6. He passed the test _______ not studying for it.
7. We enjoyed the trip _______ the problems we faced.
8. _______ the traffic, we arrived on time.
B. Choose the correct option to complete the sentences. ‘in spite of’, ‘despite’,
‘although’, ‘even though’, and ‘though’
1. ------------ she’s arriving late, she still wants to eat when she gets here.
a. Despite b. In spite of c. Although
2. I handed my report in on time ------------------ the fact that I had been ill all
day.
a. ‘despite b. even though c. although
3. You told me ten times. I still forgot, ------------------.
a. ‘despite b. though c. although
4. I won the race ----------------- coming last in the practice run.
a. ‘although b. in spite of c. even though
5. You keep making that stupid noise ------------------- I’ve asked you to stop three
times.
a. ‘despite b. in spite of c. even though
6. My partners snores really loudly but -------------------- that I sleep well.
a. ‘even though b. in spite of c. although
7. ------------- my careful planning, we ended up staying in a really bad hotel.
a. Despite b. Although c. Even though
8. We decided to buy the house, ----------------- we didn’t really have enough
money.
a. despite b. in spite of c. even though
9. ------------------- I’m a nurse, I can’t stand the sight of blood.
a. Despite b. In spite of c. Even though
10. I completely forgot to post the letter, ------------------- him reminding me
in the morning.
a. ‘in spite of b. although c. even though
11. I would move to Australia if I got a job offer, --------------------- the
distance from my family.
a. ‘despite b. even though c. although
12. I’m a terrible singer, ------------------ having two parents who are good
musicians.
a. ‘in spite of b. even though c. although
13. ----------------------- I love sweets and cakes, I try not to eat them during
the week.
a. Although b. Despite c. In spite of
14. -------------------- the fact that I’m allergic to dogs, my parents are getting
a puppy.
a. In spite of b. Although c. Even though
15. She passed her driving test, ---------------- she made a lot of mistakes.
a. ‘despite b. in spite of c. even though
16. ------------------ they’d only known each other for two months, they got
engaged.
a. Despite b. In spite of c. Even though
Answer Key:
1. Even though it was raining heavily, we decided to go for a walk.
(This is a stronger situation with heavy rain, so we use "even though.")
2. She kept working, even though she was very tired.
(Here, "even though" emphasizes how tired she was.)
3. Although the movie was long, it was interesting.
("Although" works well because it's a normal situation.)
4. We went to the park, although the weather wasn’t great.
("Although" works well in this regular situation.)
5. He passed the exam, even though he didn’t study much.
("Even though" shows a surprising result considering he didn't study much.)
6. Although the traffic was bad, we arrived on time.
(Here, "although" is used to contrast two normal situations.)
7. The kids played outside, although it was cold.
("Although" fits here for a normal contrast.)
8. Even though the food was expensive, we ate at the restaurant.
("Even though" emphasizes the surprising nature of spending money on
expensive food.)
Answer Key:
1. In spite of the rain, we went for a walk.
(Both "in spite of" and "despite" can be used here, but "in spite of" works as
it's a phrase with "of" and is commonly used with a noun like "rain.")
2. She finished the race despite feeling exhausted.
(Here, "despite" is used because it's followed by a noun phrase: "feeling
exhausted.")
3. Despite all his efforts, he couldn’t win the competition.
("Despite" is used with "all his efforts," which is a noun phrase.)
4. They had fun in spite of the bad weather.
(Here, "in spite of" is used with "the bad weather," a noun phrase.)
5. In spite of being tired, he continued working.
("In spite of" works because it’s followed by a gerund, "being tired.")
6. He passed the test despite not studying for it.
("Despite" is used because it's followed by a noun phrase: "not studying for
it.")
7. We enjoyed the trip in spite of the problems we faced.
("In spite of" is used with a noun phrase, "the problems we faced.")
8. Despite the traffic, we arrived on time.
("Despite" is used here with "the traffic," a noun phrase.)
