CLAUSES OF CONCESSION

A clause of concession indicates a contrast with the other clause in the sentence. It will indicate a
meaning contrary or opposite to the main part of the sentence.

Clauses of concession are always dependent; therefore, the other clause will be independent.

They usually begin with the following expressions: though, although, even though. These expressions
indicate that a contrast or opposite meaning will be introduced in the clause of concession as
compared to the main clause.

* NOTE: The book presents them as also being able to begin with despite and in spite of. This is
incorrect because despite and in spite of do not introduce clauses. They are followed by nouns, noun
phrases, noun clauses or gerunds. To be able to use these expressions to introduce a clause of
concession, they must be followed by the fact that, i.e. despite the fact that, in spite of the fact that.

- Even though Aaron didn’t feel hungry, he joined us to have pizza.

- Ellen went out in the cold weather though she had the flu.
- Although he was not the best person for the job, Ernie was hired.
- The players were not penalized for their actions even though it was proven that they had cheated.
- Bill passed the exam easily although he didn’t study for it.
- Though my grandmother is very old, she can still read without glasses.
- Even though the hospital gave Mr. Jones the best medical care, the doctors couldn’t save his life.
- Steve arrived to work late again although he left his house early.
- Frank rarely sees Karen even though they are neighbors.
- I will go to work tomorrow though I feel very sick.

EXERCISE 1: Complete the following sentences.

1. I went with my girlfriend to the concert although

_______________________________.

2. Even though I pay a lot for Internet, ___________________________________________.

3. Jake completed the work though ______________________________________________.

4. Although the police searched for the thief,

_____________________________________.

5. Even though some people are wealthy,

________________________________________.
 6. Though Andy’s résumé was impressive,

________________________________________.

7. Although the weather was bad, _______________________________________________.

8. Even though Peter had a hangover, ___________________________________________.

DESPITE / IN SPITE OF

These two prepositions also indicate contrast, but do not introduce a clause; like all other
prepositions, they have to be used with a noun, noun phrase or noun clause or gerund (considered to
be a noun). They cannot be used with a subject + verb. They function similarly to though, although
and even though.

- My wife sleeps well despite the noise from the nearby airport.
- In spite of his superior qualifications, Adam didn’t get the job.
- Despite my grandmother’s age, she can still read without glasses.
- The defendant was found innocent in spite of the overwhelming evidence against him.
- Despite feeling sick, I went to work anyway. (*feeling is a gerund, therefore considered a noun*)
- We went to the park in spite of the rain.
- Despite being older than her sister, Jennifer looks a lot younger. (*being is a gerund*)
- Steve arrived to work late again despite leaving his house early.
- In spite of the pain in his leg, Tom finished the marathon.
- Despite not feeling hungry, Aaron joined us for pizza. (*not makes the gerund negative*)
- Bill passed the exam easily despite not studying for it. (*not makes the gerund negative*)

The following sentences are incorrect because despite and in spite of are followed by a subject + verb.

- Despite she is older than her sister, Jennifer looks a lot younger.
- In spite of he had pain in his leg, Tom finished the marathon.
- Despite he had superior qualifications, Adam didn’t get the job.
- In spite of I felt sick, I went to work anyway.
- My grandmother can read without glasses despite she is old.
- We went to the park in spite of it was raining.
- My wife sleeps well despite there is noise from the nearby airport.
- In spite of he didn’t feel hungry, Aaron joined us for pizza.

EXERCISE 2: Decide if the following sentences are correct (√) or incorrect (X).
 1. Paul runs fast despite he is very overweight. √
X
2. Ken got the job in spite of his prison record. √
X
3. We enjoyed the amusement park despite there were long lines to enter. √
X
4. Microsoft is doing well in spite of the recession. √ X
5. Despite he has an important job, he isn’t well paid. √ X
6. In spite of his lack of experience, he became a successful businessman. √
X
7. Despite we left home on time, we arrived late to the concert. √
X
8. Steve keeps smoking in spite of his doctor’s warnings. √
X
9. I traveled to Europe despite the airplane ticket was expensive √
X
10. Despite the death in her family, Alexa still went to a party on Friday.
√ X

These two prepositions can be used with a subject + verb (forming a dependent clause) only by
adding the fact (that) to them, i.e. despite the fact (that) and in spite of the fact (that). In these
situations they mean the same as though, although and even though. The word that is optional in this
usage.

Despite the fact that and in spite of the fact that are considered more formal than though, although
and even though. These would be used more for formal writing than everyday informal speech.

- Despite the fact (that) Aaron didn’t feel hungry, he joined us to have pizza.
- In spite of the fact (that) he was not the best person for the job, Ernie was hired.
- The players were not penalized in spite of the fact (that) it was proven that they had cheated.
- Bill passed the exam easily despite the fact (that) he didn’t study for it.
- In spite of the fact (that) my grandmother is very old, she can still read without glasses.
- Despite the fact (that) Mr. Jones received the best medical care, the doctors couldn’t save his life.
- Steve arrived to work late again in spite of the fact (that) he left his house early.
- Frank rarely sees Karen despite the fact (that) they are neighbors.

You cannot use only the word that after despite and in spite of. The following sentences are incorrect.

- Despite that Aaron didn’t feel hungry, he joined us to have pizza.

- Frank rarely sees Karen despite that they are neighbors.
- The players were not penalized in spite of that it was proven that they had cheated.
- In spite of that my grandmother is very old, she can still read without glasses.
- Bill passed the exam easily despite that he didn’t study for it.
You cannot use of after despite. The expression despite of does not exist. The following are incorrect.

- My wife sleeps well despite of the noise from the nearby airport.
- Frank rarely sees Karen despite of they are neighbors.
- Bill passed the exam easily despite of he didn’t study for it.

USAGE EXAMPLES:
√ Although my grandmother is very old, she still reads without glasses.
√ Despite my grandmother’s advanced age, she still reads without glasses.
√ Despite being very old, my grandmother still reads without glasses.
X Despite my grandmother is very old, she still reads without glasses.

√ Although Tom had a lot of pain in his leg, he finished the marathon.
√ Despite the pain in his leg, Tom finished the marathon.
√ Despite having a lot of pain in his leg, Tom finished the marathon.
X Despite he had a lot of pain in his leg, Tom finished the marathon.