Using "in spite of" and "despite"
Have you ever used "in spite of" or "despite" in your English sentences? "in spite of" is the same in meaning as "despite" and they convey the same idea as "although".
Let's say David is now 20 years of age and he is already in business. His designation is General Manager. "in spite of" or "despite" can be used to construct a sentence like this: In spite of his young age, David is already a General Manager. "in spite of" can be replaced with "despite" like this: Despite his young age, David is already a General Manager. As English users, you should take note of the word "of". When you use "despite", the word "of" must not be included. A very common error overlooked by English users is the addition of the word "of". Therefore, it is incorrect to say: Despite of his young age, David.............
Note that the punctuation mark comma (,) must be included after the word "age".
Note that we can also say: David is already a General Manager in spite of his young age. OR David is already a General Manager despite his young age. Note that the punctuation mark comma (,) is no longer needed.
Remember that "in spite of"/"despite" should be followed immediately by a noun phrase not a sentence, unless you use a "that" clause such as "the fact that".
Pay attention to the words in bold as you read these example sentences.
The old beggar managed to walk in spite of/despite the pain in his legs.
("the pain in his legs" is a noun phrase as "pain" is an abstract noun)
It means the old beggar's legs were painful.
It is incorrect to say: The old beggar managed to walk in spite of/despite his legs were painful. ("his legs were painful" is a complete sentence)
However, if "the fact that" is used, the sentence will be correct. Therefore, it is correct to say: The old beggar managed to walk in spite of/despite the fact that his legs were painful.
Sharon tried hard to concentrate on her Maths exercises in spite of/despite the loud noise. (correct)
Sharon tried hard to concentrate on her Maths exercises in spite of/despite the noise was loud. (incorrect)
Sharon tried hard to concentrate on her Maths exercises in spite of/despite the fact that the noise was loud. (correct)
If you come across a situation when you cannot use a noun phrase after in spite of/despite, then use "the fact that". Read on.
Imagine you visited your friend, Laura, last evening. You saw her 70-year-old grandma who looked rather healthy, but she had to use a walking-stick. How do you use "in spite of"/"despite" to construct your sentence? Your sentence should be: Laura's grandma looked healthy in spite of/despite the fact that she had to use a walking-stick.
(she had to use a walking-stick is a complete sentence)
It is incorrect to say: Laura's grandma looked healthy in spite of/despite her walking-stick!
More example sentences
Henry stayed up late last night in spite of/despite the fact that he had to wake up early the next morning.
The lumberjacks carried on with their work in spite of/despite the heavy rain. OR The lumberjacks carried on with their work in spite of/despite the fact that the rain was heavy.
We must complete all our projects in spite of/despite our heavy workload. OR In spite of/Despite our heavy workload, we must complete all our projects.
They went jungle-trekking in spite of/despite the stormy weather. OR In spite of/Despite the stormy weather, they went jungle-trekking.
Belinda likes eating sweet food in spite of/despite her obesity. OR
Belinda likes eating sweet food in spite of/despite the fact that she is obese.
in spite of/despite can be used with "being + noun phrase"
Example sentence:
In spite of/Despite being the best student in class, Tommy sometimes gets rather naughty and playful.
("the best student in class" is a noun phrase)
Click on "vocabulary articles" for more words/phrases.
Let's say David is now 20 years of age and he is already in business. His designation is General Manager. "in spite of" or "despite" can be used to construct a sentence like this: In spite of his young age, David is already a General Manager. "in spite of" can be replaced with "despite" like this: Despite his young age, David is already a General Manager. As English users, you should take note of the word "of". When you use "despite", the word "of" must not be included. A very common error overlooked by English users is the addition of the word "of". Therefore, it is incorrect to say: Despite of his young age, David.............
Note that the punctuation mark comma (,) must be included after the word "age".
Note that we can also say: David is already a General Manager in spite of his young age. OR David is already a General Manager despite his young age. Note that the punctuation mark comma (,) is no longer needed.
Remember that "in spite of"/"despite" should be followed immediately by a noun phrase not a sentence, unless you use a "that" clause such as "the fact that".
Pay attention to the words in bold as you read these example sentences.
The old beggar managed to walk in spite of/despite the pain in his legs.
("the pain in his legs" is a noun phrase as "pain" is an abstract noun)
It means the old beggar's legs were painful.
It is incorrect to say: The old beggar managed to walk in spite of/despite his legs were painful. ("his legs were painful" is a complete sentence)
However, if "the fact that" is used, the sentence will be correct. Therefore, it is correct to say: The old beggar managed to walk in spite of/despite the fact that his legs were painful.
Sharon tried hard to concentrate on her Maths exercises in spite of/despite the loud noise. (correct)
Sharon tried hard to concentrate on her Maths exercises in spite of/despite the noise was loud. (incorrect)
Sharon tried hard to concentrate on her Maths exercises in spite of/despite the fact that the noise was loud. (correct)
If you come across a situation when you cannot use a noun phrase after in spite of/despite, then use "the fact that". Read on.
Imagine you visited your friend, Laura, last evening. You saw her 70-year-old grandma who looked rather healthy, but she had to use a walking-stick. How do you use "in spite of"/"despite" to construct your sentence? Your sentence should be: Laura's grandma looked healthy in spite of/despite the fact that she had to use a walking-stick.
(she had to use a walking-stick is a complete sentence)
It is incorrect to say: Laura's grandma looked healthy in spite of/despite her walking-stick!
More example sentences
Henry stayed up late last night in spite of/despite the fact that he had to wake up early the next morning.
The lumberjacks carried on with their work in spite of/despite the heavy rain. OR The lumberjacks carried on with their work in spite of/despite the fact that the rain was heavy.
We must complete all our projects in spite of/despite our heavy workload. OR In spite of/Despite our heavy workload, we must complete all our projects.
They went jungle-trekking in spite of/despite the stormy weather. OR In spite of/Despite the stormy weather, they went jungle-trekking.
Belinda likes eating sweet food in spite of/despite her obesity. OR
Belinda likes eating sweet food in spite of/despite the fact that she is obese.
in spite of/despite can be used with "being + noun phrase"
Example sentence:
In spite of/Despite being the best student in class, Tommy sometimes gets rather naughty and playful.
("the best student in class" is a noun phrase)
Click on "vocabulary articles" for more words/phrases.
By Susan L
On 1/09/2010 11:25:00 PM
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View More Articles... On 1/09/2010 11:25:00 PM
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