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Despite vs. In Spite of

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Common mistakes

  1. (NG) Despite of the rain, we went to the beach.
    1. (OK) Despite the rain, we went to the beach.
  2. (NG) In spite of raining, we went to the beach.
    1. (OK) In spite of the rain, we went to the beach.

Grammar words and phrases in context

I love the beach, despite the weather. Even when it rains, I like to go to the beach, sit in my car, and listen to the waves crashing on the shore as the rain is falling. It was raining really hard last weekend, but in spite of that, I had a nice time at the beach.

Despite and In Spite Of

Despite and in spite of both have the same meaning as although, but we can use despite and in spite of before a noun. When despite and in spite of come at the beginning of the sentence, use a comma after the clause containing despite and in spite of. When despite and in spite of come in the middle of the sentence, you don’t need a comma.

  1. Despite the rain, I went to the beach.
  2. I bought that watch despite the price.
  3. In spite of the rain, I went to the beach.
  4. I bought that watch in spite of the price.

We also use despite and in spite of before a gerund. The comma rules are the same as those for using despite and in spite of before a noun.

  1. Despite getting to the theater early, I couldn’t get a ticket.
  2. I wasn’t able to pass the audition, despite practicing hard.
  3. In spite of getting to the theater early, I couldn’t get a ticket.
  4. I wasn’t able to pass the audition, in spite of practicing hard.

We can also use despite and in spite of before a pronoun.

  1. Jack studied hard. Despite that, he didn’t get a good grade on the exam.
  2. I don’t like going to parties where I don’t know anyone, but despite this, I went and had a nice time.
  3. Tom’s wife wasn’t happy about him going to the bar, but in spite of her, he went there.
  4. We had a lot of problems building the tree house, but in spite of them, the tree house came out great!

We can also use despite the fact (that) and in spite of the fact (that) before a subject and verb. When using phrases like these, in conversational English, “that” is often not used.

  1. Despite the fact that I don’t like to watch sports, I had a nice time at the stadium.
  2. Bob got a good grade on his exam in spite of the fact that he didn’t study for it.
  3. I never received my order from that company despite the fact that I paid for it.
  4. In spite of the fact that I complained several times, my neighbor continues to play loud music at night.

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