Despite / In spite of vs. Although / Even though – English Grammar Exercises for B2
A thrilling weekend camping trip that was plagued by terrible weather, but ended up being an unforgettable, joyful experience.
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence from the storyteller’s camping recount.
1 “______ the heavy rain, we managed to set up our tents and start a massive campfire in under an hour.”
(A) Although
(B) Because of
(C) In spite
(D) Despite
2 “We kept singing songs around the campfire ______ the wind was howling furiously through the trees.”
(A) even though
(B) despite
(C) in spite of
(D) despite the fact
3 “Our weekend in the woods was an absolute blast, ______ the freezing nighttime temperatures.”
(A) despite of
(B) in spite of
(C) even though
(D) owing to
4 “______ completely soaked to the bone, nobody wanted to pack up and go home early.”
(A) Despite being
(B) Although being
(C) In spite
(D) Even though
5 “______ the thunderstorm destroyed our main canopy, we just laughed and moved the barbecue into the small wooden cabin.”
(A) Despite
(B) In spite of
(C) Because
(D) Although
6 “We managed to cook an incredibly delicious beef stew ______ having very little dry firewood left.”
(A) despite of
(B) even though
(C) in spite of
(D) although
7 “I wouldn’t trade this trip for anything, ______ it rained non-stop for 48 hours straight.”
(A) in spite of the fact that
(B) despite
(C) despite of the fact that
(D) regardless
8 “______ our initial panic when the river started rising, the situation quickly turned into a fun, muddy adventure.”
(A) Even though
(B) Because of
(C) Despite
(D) Although
9 “The hiking trails were extremely slippery and dangerous. ______, we safely reached the mountain summit by noon.”
(A) Although this
(B) In spite
(C) Even though
(D) Despite this
10 “We had the most engaging and deep conversations ______ having absolutely no cell service all weekend.”
(A) even though
(B) despite
(C) although
(D) because
11 “______ the muddy ground ruining my favorite hiking boots, I couldn’t stop smiling the entire time.”
(A) Although
(B) Despite of
(C) In spite of
(D) Even though
12 “It was easily the best camping trip of my life, ______ we had to sleep in damp sleeping bags.”
(A) even though
(B) in spite of
(C) despite
(D) nevertheless
13 “______ a complete lack of outdoor experience, Sarah led us safely through the foggy forest like a pro.”
(A) Although
(B) Even though
(C) In spite
(D) Despite
14 “The hot chocolate tasted like the best thing in the world ______ the fact that it was made with lukewarm water.”
(A) despite
(B) although
(C) despite of
(D) in spite
15 “______ everyone was shivering uncontrollably, we all stayed outside for hours to watch the meteor shower.”
(A) Despite
(B) Although
(C) In spite of
(D) Even if
16 “The trip was a resounding success ______ all the logistical nightmares we faced on the very first day.”
(A) even though
(B) although
(C) as a result of
(D) despite
17 “______ being bitten by mosquitoes all night, Mark woke up in a remarkably cheerful mood to cook breakfast.”
(A) In spite of
(B) Although
(C) Even though
(D) Despite of
18 “The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. ______, the dense fog made it impossible to take any good photographs.”
(A) In spite of
(B) Although that
(C) Despite that
(D) Because of that
19 “______ the relentless storm, the campsite atmosphere remained completely peaceful and undisturbed.”
(A) Even though
(B) Despite
(C) In spite
(D) Although
20 “We are already planning to return to the exact same spot next month, ______ it gave us a pretty harsh welcome this time around.”
(A) despite
(B) in spite of
(C) despite the fact
(D) even though
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (D) Despite
- Why it is correct: “Despite” is a preposition of concession. It must be followed by a Noun Phrase (“the heavy rain”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: “Although” requires a full subject-verb clause (Although it rained heavily). (B) Meaning Trap: “Because of” indicates cause, which ruins the contrasting meaning. (C) Structural Error: Missing the preposition “of”.
2 (A) even though
- Why it is correct: “Even though” is a subordinating conjunction. It is correctly followed by a full clause with a subject and verb (“the wind was howling”).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) & (C) Common Mistake: “Despite” and “In spite of” must be followed by a noun or gerund, not a full clause. (D) Structural Error: Missing the conjunction “that”.
3 (B) in spite of
- Why it is correct: A multi-word preposition that introduces a contrasting Noun Phrase (“the freezing nighttime temperatures”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: “Despite of” is grammatically invalid. “Despite” never takes “of”. (C) Structural Error: Requires a full clause. (D) Meaning Trap: “Owing to” means “because of”, which destroys the logical contrast.
4 (A) Despite being
- Why it is correct: After a preposition like “Despite”, verbs must take the gerund form (V-ing). Here, “being” connects the adjective “soaked” to the preposition.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: “Although” cannot be followed directly by a participle phrase in this specific context; it requires a subject and a conjugated verb (Although we were being soaked). (C) Structural Error: Missing “of”. (D) Structural Error: Missing the subject and verb (Even though we were).
5 (D) Although
- Why it is correct: “Although” acts as the conjunction connecting the dependent clause (“the thunderstorm destroyed our main canopy”) to the main independent clause.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Common Mistake: Prepositions cannot be followed by a full subject-verb clause. (C) Meaning Trap: “Because” implies they moved the barbecue due to the storm, but the word “just laughed” implies a contrast, not a direct positive result.
6 (C) in spite of
- Why it is correct: Prepositions of concession can be followed by a Gerund (V-ing). “Having” acts as the noun equivalent here.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: “Despite” never takes “of”. (B) & (D) Structural Error: Conjunctions must be followed by a subject and a verb (Even though we had).
7 (A) in spite of the fact that
- Why it is correct: If you want to use “in spite of” but the following phrase is a full clause (“it rained non-stop”), you must bridge the gap with the phrase “the fact that”.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: “Despite” cannot directly precede a full clause. (C) Common Mistake: “Despite of” is a non-existent phrase in standard English. (D) Structural Error: “Regardless” requires the preposition “of”.
8 (C) Despite
- Why it is correct: Correctly precedes the Noun Phrase (“our initial panic”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (D) Structural Error: Conjunctions require a full clause. (B) Meaning Trap: “Because of” indicates cause, removing the element of surprise/contrast.
9 (D) Despite this
- Why it is correct: “Despite this” operates as an independent transitional phrase at the beginning of a sentence. “This” acts as a pronoun replacing the previous sentence’s concept.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: “Although” is a conjunction and cannot stand alone linking a pronoun to a comma. (B) Structural Error: Missing “of”. (C) Structural Error: Cannot be used independently with a comma.
10 (B) despite
- Why it is correct: The preposition is correctly followed by a Gerund phrase (“having absolutely no cell service”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (C) Structural Error: Requires a full subject + verb structure. (D) Meaning Trap: “Because” implies the lack of service was the reason, which is possible, but “despite” highlights the overcoming of what is usually considered an obstacle.
11 (C) In spite of
- Why it is correct: Introduces the Noun Phrase (“the muddy ground”) that is modified by a participle (“ruining”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: “Although” requires a full clause with a conjugated verb, not a participle modifier. (B) Common Mistake: “Despite of” is grammatically invalid. (D) Structural Error: Requires a full clause.
12 (A) even though
- Why it is correct: Introduces a dependent clause with a subject (“we”) and a verb (“had to sleep”). “Even though” adds a slightly stronger emphasis on the contrast than “although”.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) & (C) Structural Error: Prepositions cannot be followed by a full clause. (D) Structural Error: “Nevertheless” is an adverb and cannot act as a subordinating conjunction to link two clauses in a single sentence.
13 (D) Despite
- Why it is correct: Directly precedes the Noun Phrase (“a complete lack of outdoor experience”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Must be followed by a clause. (C) Structural Error: Missing “of”.
14 (A) despite
- Why it is correct: “Despite” is followed by the noun phrase “the fact,” which is then expanded by a “that” clause. This is the correct way to use a clause after a preposition.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: “Although the fact that” is grammatically redundant and incorrect. (C) Common Mistake: “Despite of” is invalid. (D) Structural Error: Missing “of”.
15 (B) Although
- Why it is correct: Connects the dependent clause (“everyone was shivering uncontrollably”) to the main action.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (C) Common Mistake: Cannot be followed by a full clause. (D) Meaning Trap: “Even if” presents a hypothetical condition, but the shivering was a real, confirmed fact.
16 (D) despite
- Why it is correct: The preposition introduces the Noun Phrase (“all the logistical nightmares”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Requires a full clause. (C) Meaning Trap: “As a result of” removes the contrast and implies the nightmares caused the success.
17 (A) In spite of
- Why it is correct: Correctly followed by the passive gerund phrase (“being bitten”).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) & (C) Structural Error: Must be followed by a subject + conjugated verb. (D) Common Mistake: “Despite of” is an invalid combination.
18 (C) Despite that
- Why it is correct: Used as a sentence-starting transitional phrase where “that” serves as a demonstrative pronoun referring to the beautiful scenery in the previous sentence.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: “In spite of” requires an object; you cannot end the phrase without one before the comma (should be In spite of that). (B) Common Mistake: Conjunctions cannot act as independent transitional markers in this way. (D) Meaning Trap: “Because of that” implies a logical result, not a contrast.
19 (B) Despite
- Why it is correct: A preposition correctly followed by the Noun Phrase (“the relentless storm”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (D) Structural Error: Must be followed by a full clause. (C) Structural Error: Missing “of”.
20 (D) even though
- Why it is correct: Connects the contrasting dependent clause (“it gave us a pretty harsh welcome”) to the main independent clause.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Cannot be followed directly by a full subject-verb clause. (C) Structural Error: Missing the relative pronoun “that” (despite the fact that).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
To talk about overcoming obstacles without losing your conversational flow, you must master the difference between Prepositions and Conjunctions of Concession.
- The Clause Rule (Subject + Verb):
- Use Although / Even though / Though.
- Example: “Even though it rained, we had fun.”
- Function: This structure requires you to build a complete sentence, giving equal grammatical weight to the obstacle.
- The Noun Rule (Noun Phrase or V-ing):
- Use Despite / In spite of.
- Example: “Despite the rain, we had fun.”
- Function: This is incredibly useful for B2/C1 speakers. By turning the obstacle into a quick noun phrase (the rain, the cold, the storm), you gloss over the negative part quickly and keep the focus on your main point (having fun!).
- The Ultimate Grammar Trap:
- NEVER write or say “Despite of“. This is the most common mistake English learners make.
- If you have a full clause but absolutely want to use Despite, you must use the “bridge” phrase: Despite the fact that…
- Correct: Despite the fact that it rained, we had fun.