Connectors · CEFR B2 · Confident
despite / in spite of — English conjunctions
These mean the same as although but take a noun or an -ing form, never a full clause with its own verb.
The shape
despite / in spite of + noun or -ing
Show contrast with a noun instead of a clause.
In Hindi
इनका मतलब although जैसा है, पर इनके बाद संज्ञा या -ing आता है, पूरा वाक्य नहीं।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
Despite he was tired, he came. | Despite being tired, he came. After "despite" you need a noun or -ing, not a clause. |
Learn these first
These come first. The rest of this makes more sense once they are automatic.
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
- although / howeverB1Say two things that do not fit together
- even though / whereasB2Sharpen a contrast, or set two things side by side
Questions people ask
- What is the despite / in spite of used for?
- These mean the same as although but take a noun or an -ing form, never a full clause with its own verb. In practice: show contrast with a noun instead of a clause.
- How do you form the despite / in spite of?
- despite / in spite of + noun or -ing.
- What is the most common mistake with the despite / in spite of?
- Saying “Despite he was tired, he came.” instead of “Despite being tired, he came.”. After "despite" you need a noun or -ing, not a clause.
Where despite / in spite of fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
despite / in spite of is a CEFR B2 structure — the confident band — and it belongs to connectors. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
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