Problems with Connectors #2: Despite/In Spite Of vs Although

although despite 1

When writing, there are times when we need to express contrast, but we don’t want to repeat the same expressions all the time. In these cases, we ought to look for synonyms, like «despite», «in spite of» or «although». These three linkers express the same type of contrast. In Spanish, we can translate them as «a pesar de (que..)» or «aunque». Take a look at the examples below:

This mobile phone is not the best on the market despite being the most expensive.

This mobile phone is not the best on the market in spite of being the most expensive.

This mobile phone is not the best on the market although it is the most expensive.

As you can see, both «despite» and «in spite of» work the same, as they are interchangeable. They must be followed by a noun, a pronoun, or a gerund (phrase). This means that they cannot be followed by a subject-predicate clause.

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In contrast, «although» works exactly the opposite. It must be followed by a proper subject-predicate clause.

although despite 3

As for the punctuation and order of the sentence, if you use these linking words at the beginning, there is usually a comma separating both clauses. Like this:

Despite/In spite of the bad weather, we decided to go out. 

Although the weather was bad, we decided to go out. 

However, if the connective word is in the middle, there usually isn’t a comma when we use «despite» or «in spite of«, whereas «although» usually has it. Check out the examples below:

He had to buy another car despite/in spite of not having much money. 

He had to buy a car, although he didn’t have much money. 

 

Finally, if you ever need to transform a sentence (like in First or Advanced Use of English Part 4) from «although» to «despite/in spite of«, you can either use a noun derived from an element in the sentence, or the expression «the fact that«. Check this out:

Although his students were misbehaving, the teacher managed to keep calm.
(were misbehaving = past continuous)

Despite his student’s misbehaviour, the teacher managed to keep calm.
(misbehaviour
= noun of «misbehave)

Despite the fact that his students were misbehaving, the teacher managed to keep calm. 

If you still have problems with «despite/in spite of», check out this post.

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