NEB grade 12 Compulsory English Uses of "Although," "Though," "Even Though," and "Despite/In Spite Of"

 

Uses of "Although," "Though," "Even Though," and "Despite/In Spite Of"

These words are used to express contrast or to introduce information that seems to oppose the main idea. Both sets are used to show that something is true despite another fact or condition.

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1. Although / Though / Even Though

These conjunctions are used to show contrast between two ideas in a sentence. They are often interchangeable, but there are subtle differences.

• Although and Though are used in the middle or beginning of a sentence.
• Even Though is a stronger form and emphasizes the contrast more clearly.

Examples:

1.      Although it was raining, we decided to go for a walk.

2.      Though she was tired, she finished her work.

3.      Even though he studied hard, he didn't pass the exam. (Stronger contrast than "although")

4.      Although he was late, he managed to catch the train.

5.      Though the movie was boring, I stayed until the end.

6.      Even though it was his birthday, he didn't want a big party.

7.      Although the restaurant was expensive, the food was not very good.

8.      Though I had no money, I still bought the book.

9.      Even though she practiced every day, she didn’t win the competition.

10. Although I like tea, I prefer coffee in the morning.

2. Despite / In Spite Of

These are prepositions, meaning they are followed by a noun or a gerund (verb+ing). They also show contrast and are often used in a similar way to "although" and "though."

• Despite is more formal than in spite of, but both are used to show that something happens even though there is an obstacle or contrast.

Examples:

1.      Despite the rain, we went for a walk.

2.      In spite of being tired, she stayed up late to finish her homework.

3.      Despite his efforts, he couldn’t lift the heavy box.

4.      In spite of the high price, the concert was amazing.

5.      Despite her lack of experience, she got the job.

6.      In spite of studying hard, he failed the test.

7.      Despite the weather, we went on the hike.

8.      In spite of feeling nervous, he gave a great speech.

9.      Despite the traffic, they arrived on time.

10. In spite of the difficulties, they managed to complete the project.

Key Differences:

• Although/Though/Even though: Used as conjunctions to connect two clauses, often at the beginning or middle of the sentence.
• Despite/In spite of: Prepositions followed by a noun or gerund, used to indicate contrast.

Fill in the blanks with the correct word:

1.      __________ it was raining, we decided to go for a walk.

2.      She passed the test __________ she didn't study much.

3.      __________ the fact that he was tired, he finished his homework.

4.      We went to the beach __________ the weather wasn't great.

5.      __________ he is allergic to cats, he adopted one.

6.      They enjoyed the trip __________ it was very expensive.

7.      __________ working hard, she couldn’t finish the project on time.

8.      I decided to go for a jog __________ feeling sick.

9.      __________ the bad weather, the event was a huge success.

10. __________ she was young, she was very mature for her age.

11. He enjoyed the movie __________ it was quite long.

12. __________ the traffic, they arrived at the party on time.

13. __________ he has no experience, he got the job.

14. I didn't go to the party __________ being invited.

15. __________ her busy schedule, she still found time to volunteer.

16. He ate all the cake __________ he wasn’t very hungry.

17. __________ I was late, I managed to catch the bus.

18. __________ the obstacles, they finished the race.

19. She didn’t attend the meeting __________ being the team leader.

20. __________ the difficult circumstances, they managed to succeed.

 

Answer

1.      Although it was raining, we decided to go for a walk.

2.      She passed the test even though she didn't study much.

3.      Despite the fact that he was tired, he finished his homework.

4.      We went to the beach despite the weather wasn't great.

5.      Although he is allergic to cats, he adopted one.

6.      They enjoyed the trip despite it was very expensive.

7.      Although working hard, she couldn’t finish the project on time.

8.      I decided to go for a jog despite feeling sick.

9.      Despite the bad weather, the event was a huge success.

10. Though she was young, she was very mature for her age.

11. He enjoyed the movie even though it was quite long.

12. Despite the traffic, they arrived at the party on time.

13. Although he has no experience, he got the job.

14. I didn't go to the party despite being invited.

15. In spite of her busy schedule, she still found time to volunteer.

16. He ate all the cake even though he wasn’t very hungry.

17. Although I was late, I managed to catch the bus.

18. In spite of the obstacles, they finished the race.

19. She didn’t attend the meeting despite being the team leader.

20. In spite of the difficult circumstances, they managed to succeed.

 

B. Join the following pairs of sentences twice, using although/though/even though and despite/in spite of as in the example.

a. He is a millionaire. He lives in a simple house.

– Although he is a millionaire, he lives in a simple house.
– Despite of being a millionaire, he lives in a simple house.

b. The weather was extremely bad. The pilot landed the plane safely.

– In spite of extremely bad weather, the pilot landed the plane safely.
– Although the weather was extremely bad, the pilot landed the plane safely.

c. We study in the same college. We hardly see each other.

– Despite studying in the same college, we hardly see each other.
– Although we study in the same college, we hardly see each other.

d. It rained heavily. We enjoyed our holiday.

– Although it rained heavily, we enjoyed our holiday.
– In spite of the heavy rain, we enjoyed our holiday.

e. I had an umbrella. I got wet in the rain.

– Despite having an umbrella, I got wet in the rain.
– Although I had an umbrella, I got wet in the rain.

f. I was really tired. I could not sleep for a moment.

– Although I was really tired, I could not sleep for a moment.
– I couldn’t sleep despite being very tired.

g. She has a very good accent in English. She failed the interview of a newsreader.

– Despite having a very good accent in English, she failed the interview of a newsreader.
– Although she has a very good accent in English, she failed the interview of a newsreader.

h. Lhasa has extremely cold weather in winter. Millions of tourists go there in January.

– Millions of tourists go to Lhasa in January, even though it has extremely cold weather in winter.
– Despite having extremely cold weather in winter, millions of tourists go to Lhasa in January.

i. He was badly injured in the first round of the boxing match. He was victorious in the third round.

– In spite of being badly injured in the first round of the boxing match, he was victorious in the third round.
– Although he was badly injured in the first round of the boxing match, he was victorious in the third round.

C. Complete each sentence in an appropriate way.

a. He passed the exam although he hadn’t prepared well.

b. She climbed the mountain in spite of her leg injury.

c. He did not give any alms to the beggars even though he earned a lot.

d. In spite of his poor eyesight, he is conducting online courses.

e She does not go to parties, though she is very sociable.

f. He could not pass the test, in spite of his ten attempts.

g. He refused to eat anything despite having an appetite.

h. He could not score goods grades in the SEE exams in spite of his hard with private coaching.

i. She accepted the job although she couldn’t meet her salary expectation.

j. Even though we had planned everything carefully, we could not complete our mission.