Contrast (despite/in spite of/however) Exercises PDFSet 1: Despite & In Spite Of — Concession with Prepositions
20 questions·14 min·Answers included·Explanations included
Preview: Questions
Fill in the blank with the correct option.
1.___ the cold weather, they went swimming in the lake.
a) Despiteb) Althoughc) Howeverd) Despite of
2.The team won the match ___ all the difficulties they faced.
a) althoughb) in spite ofc) howeverd) because of
3.He went to work ___ he had a terrible headache.
a) despiteb) in spite ofc) althoughd) despite of
4.___ being very tired, she finished the project on time.
a) Althoughb) Howeverc) Because ofd) In spite of
5.We enjoyed the trip ___ the bad food at the hotel.
a) althoughb) howeverc) because ofd) despite
... and 15 more questions in the PDF
Preview: Answers
1.Despite
2.in spite of
3.although
4.In spite of
5.despite
... and 15 more answers in the PDF
Preview: Explanations
1."Despite"(a)
'Despite' is a preposition followed by a noun phrase ('the cold weather'). 'Although' needs a clause with a subject and verb. 'Despite of' does not exist in English — never add 'of' after 'despite'.
2."in spite of"(b)
'In spite of' is followed by the noun phrase 'all the difficulties'. 'Although' needs a clause (e.g., 'although they faced many difficulties'). 'Because of' expresses reason, not concession — it would mean the difficulties helped them win, which is the opposite meaning.
3."although"(c)
'Although' is a conjunction that introduces a clause ('he had a terrible headache'). 'Despite' and 'in spite of' are prepositions — they cannot be followed by a subject + verb. You could say 'despite having a terrible headache' or 'despite his terrible headache'.
4."In spite of"(d)
'In spite of' is followed by the -ing form 'being very tired'. 'Although' would need a full clause: 'Although she was very tired'. 'Because of' would give the opposite meaning (reason, not concession).
5."despite"(d)
'Despite' is followed by the noun phrase 'the bad food at the hotel'. 'Although' needs a clause with a verb. 'Because of' would mean the bad food was the reason they enjoyed the trip — the opposite of the intended meaning.
... and 15 more explanations in the PDF
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