Expressing Concession and Contrast: Although, Despite, In Spite Of, However with BAC Exercises — English — Second Year Secondary — Algerian Curriculum

Expressing Concession and Contrast: Although, Despite, In Spite Of, However

Learning Objectives:

• Use although, though, even though to express concession
• Use despite and in spite of correctly
• Use however and nevertheless to link contrasting ideas
• Practice with BAC-style exercises

1. Although / Though / Even Though

Rule: These are conjunctions followed by a complete clause (subject + verb).

Structure: Although + clause, + main clause

Examples:

• “Although it was raining, we went for a walk.”
• “She passed the exam though she didnt study much.”
• “Even though he was tired, he finished his work.” (stronger emphasis)

2. Despite / In Spite Of

Rule: These are followed by a noun, pronoun, or gerund (verb + ing), NOT a full clause.

Structure: Despite + noun/gerund + main clause

Examples:

• “Despite the rain, we went for a walk.”
• “He passed the exam in spite of not studying much.”
• “Despite being tired, he finished his work.”

Note: To change a clause to a noun phrase after despite/in spite of:

• “Although he was sick -> Despite being sick / Despite his illness“

3. However / Nevertheless / Nonetheless

Rule: These are adverbs used at the beginning of a new sentence to show contrast with the previous sentence.

Structure: First sentence. However, + second sentence.

Examples:

• “It was raining. However, we went for a walk.”
• “He was very tired. Nevertheless, he continued working.”

4. Comparison Table

Connector	Type	Followed by	Example
Although/Though	Conjunction	Clause	Although he was tired, he worked.
Even though	Conjunction	Clause (stronger)	Even though it was hard, he succeeded.
Despite	Preposition	Noun/Gerund	Despite the difficulty, he succeeded.
In spite of	Preposition	Noun/Gerund	In spite of the rain, we went out.
However	Adverb	New sentence	It was raining. However, we went out.

BAC-Style Exercises

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks

1. ____________ the bad weather, the flight departed on time.

2. ____________ he studied hard, he failed the exam.

3. She didnt get the job. ____________, she didnt give up.

4. He went to school ____________ being ill.

Answers: 1. Despite/In spite of, 2. Although/Though/Even though, 3. However/Nevertheless, 4. despite/in spite of

Exercise 2: Rewrite the sentences using the word in brackets

1. He was wealthy. He was not happy. (although)

-> ____________

2. She was tired. She continued running. (despite)

-> ____________

3. The car is expensive. Many people buy it. (however)

-> ____________

Answers:

1. Although he was wealthy, he was not happy.

2. Despite being tired, she continued running. / Despite her tiredness, she continued running.

3. The car is expensive. However, many people buy it.

Exercise 3 (BAC): Complete the paragraph

____________ (Although/Despite) the COVID-19 pandemic caused many challenges, some businesses managed to grow. ____________ (However/Despite), not all sectors benefited equally. Technology companies, ____________ (in spite of/although) the crisis, reported record profits.

Answers: Although, However, in spite of

Summary

• Although + clause (subject + verb)
• Despite/In spite of + noun/gerund
• However starts a new sentence
• Even though is stronger than although
• BAC tip: learn to transform sentences between these forms

Related Lessons

• Future Tense: Will vs Be Going To
• Linking Words for Coherence and Cohesion in Writing