'in spite of', 'despite', 'although', 'even though' and 'tho

'in spite of', 'despite', 'although', 'even though' and 'tho

Multiple Choice

_____ they'd only known each other for two months, they got engaged.

• Despite

• In spite of

• Even though

Multiple Choice

She passed her driving test, _____ she made a lot of mistakes.

• despite

• in spite of

• even though

Multiple Choice

_____ the fact that I'm allergic to dogs, my parents are getting a puppy.

• In spite of

• Although

• Even though

Multiple Choice

_____ I love sweets and cakes, I try not to eat them during the week.

• Although

• Despite

• In spite of

Multiple Choice

I'm a terrible singer, _____ having two parents who are good musicians.

• in spite of

• even though

• although

Multiple Choice

I would move to Australia if I got a job offer, _____ the distance from my family.

• despite

• even though

• although

Multiple Choice

I completely forgot to post the letter, _____ him reminding me in the morning.

• in spite of

• although

• even though

Multiple Choice

_____ I'm a nurse, I can't stand the sight of blood.

• Despite

• In spite of

• Even though

'Although', 'even though', 'in spite of' and 'despite' are all used to link two contrasting ideas or show that one fact makes the other fact surprising. They can all be used at the beginning or in the middle of the sentence. 

Despite the rain, we enjoyed the festival.
We enjoyed the festival, despite the rain.

The main difference between 'although', 'even though', 'in spite of' and 'despite' is that they are used with different structures. 

in spite of / despite

After 'in spite of' and 'despite', we use a noun, gerund (-ing form of a verb) or a pronoun.

They never made much money, in spite of their success.
In spite of the pain in his leg, he completed the marathon.
Despite having a headache, I had a great birthday.
The train was cancelled. In spite of that, we arrived on time.

Note that it is common to use 'in spite of' and 'despite' with the expression 'the fact that', followed by a subject and verb.

In spite of the fact that he worked very hard, he didn't pass the exam.

Despite the fact that he worked very hard, he didn't pass the exam.

although / even though

After 'although' and 'even though', we use a subject and a verb. 'Even though' is slightly stronger and more emphatic than 'although'.

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.
Even though she spoke very quietly, he understood every word.
She didn't get the job, even though she had all the necessary qualifications.

though

Though can be used in the same way as although. 

Though I wasn't keen on the film, I thought the music was beautiful.

Though can also go at the end of the second phrase. This way of expressing contrasting ideas is most common in spoken English.

We waited ages for our food. The waiter was really nice, though.

Multiple Choice

We decided to buy the house, _____ we didn't really have enough money.

• despite

• in spite of

• even though

Multiple Choice

_____ my careful planning, we ended up staying in a really bad hotel.

• Despite

• Although

• Even though

Multiple Choice

My partner snores really loudly but _____ that I sleep well.

• even though

• in spite of

• although

Multiple Choice

You keep making that stupid noise _____ I've asked you to stop three times.

• despite

• in spite of

• even though

Multiple Choice

I won the race _____ coming last in the practice run.

• although

• in spite of

• even though

Multiple Choice

Even _____ you told me ten times, I still forgot.

• despite

• though

• although

Multiple Choice

I handed my report in on time _____ the fact that I had been ill all day.

• despite

• even though

• although