Despite / In spite of vs. Although / Even though – English Grammar Exercises for B2
A popular food blogger is writing a comprehensive review of a newly opened, highly-rated restaurant, noting that while the food is exquisite, the service has major flaws.
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence from the food blogger’s review.
1 “______ the service was incredibly slow on a Friday night, the truffle risotto was absolutely worth the wait.”
(A) Despite
(B) In spite of
(C) Although
(D) Despite of
2 “I highly recommend trying their signature steak, ______ the prices are definitely on the higher end.”
(A) even though
(B) despite
(C) in spite of
(D) despite the fact
3 “______ the extremely loud and chaotic ambiance in the main dining room, our waiter remained polite and attentive.”
(A) Although
(B) Even though
(C) Despite
(D) Despite of
4 “We ended up having a fantastic evening ______ waiting forty-five minutes just to get our appetizers.”
(A) although
(B) in spite of
(C) even though
(D) despite of
5 “______ the fact that the restaurant just opened last week, the kitchen staff operates like a well-oiled machine.”
(A) Although
(B) Even though
(C) Despite
(D) In spite
6 “______ I usually avoid seafood entirely, their grilled octopus was the highlight of the entire meal.”
(A) Although
(B) Despite
(C) In spite of
(D) Despite of
7 “The dessert menu is surprisingly uninspired ______ the pastry chef’s stellar reputation in the culinary industry.”
(A) although
(B) even though
(C) despite
(D) because of
8 “______ arriving ten minutes before closing time, we were welcomed warmly and never felt rushed.”
(A) Although
(B) Even though
(C) In spite of
(D) Despite of
9 “______ the exterior of the building looks quite run-down, the interior is beautifully decorated and cozy.”
(A) In spite of
(B) Despite
(C) Even though
(D) Despite of
10 “The portions look quite small when they first arrive at the table. ______, the rich ingredients make the dishes incredibly filling.”
(A) Although
(B) However
(C) Despite
(D) Even though
11 “______ its prestigious Michelin star rating, the restaurant maintains a surprisingly casual and relaxed vibe.”
(A) Despite
(B) Although
(C) Even though
(D) Because of
12 “I will definitely be returning next month ______ they completely messed up our drink orders.”
(A) despite
(B) in spite of
(C) even though
(D) despite of
13 “______ a few minor hiccups with the reservation system, the host managed to find us a great window seat.”
(A) Even though
(B) In spite of
(C) Although
(D) In spite
14 “______ the wine list is severely overpriced, their signature house cocktail is a fantastic bargain.”
(A) Despite
(B) In spite of
(C) Although
(D) Despite of
15 “The grilled lamb chops were perfectly cooked and seasoned to perfection, ______ the side vegetables were cold and mushy.”
(A) despite
(B) even though
(C) in spite of
(D) despite of
16 “______ being tucked away in a hidden, hard-to-find alley, this bistro is fully booked every single weekend.”
(A) Despite
(B) Although
(C) Even though
(D) In spite
17 “______ we explicitly complained about the drafty window, no one offered to move us to a better table.”
(A) In spite of
(B) Despite
(C) Despite of
(D) Even though
18 “The menu is quite limited and lacks vegetarian options. ______, every single dish they do offer is a culinary masterpiece.”
(A) Although
(B) Nevertheless
(C) Despite
(D) In spite of
19 “______ the undeniable quality of the locally sourced ingredients, I simply cannot justify spending $50 on a basic pasta dish.”
(A) Despite
(B) Although
(C) Even though
(D) Despite of
20 “______ they clearly need to hire more waitstaff to handle the weekend rush, I still rate this dining experience a solid 8 out of 10”
(A) Despite
(B) In spite of
(C) Although
(D) Despite of
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) Although
- Why it is correct: “Although” is a subordinating conjunction correctly followed by a full subject and verb clause (“the service was incredibly slow”). This perfectly balances the review by giving the complaint full sentence weight.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Prepositions cannot be followed directly by a full clause. (D) Common Mistake: “Despite of” is grammatically invalid.
2 (A) even though
- Why it is correct: “Even though” connects the independent clause (the recommendation) to a dependent clause containing a subject and verb (“the prices are definitely on the higher end”).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) & (C) Structural Error: Prepositions must be followed by a noun phrase, not a clause. (D) Structural Error: Missing the “that” clause after “the fact”.
3 (C) Despite
- Why it is correct: “Despite” is a preposition of concession that correctly precedes the long noun phrase “the extremely loud and chaotic ambiance in the main dining room”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Conjunctions must be followed by a full subject-verb clause. (D) Structural Error: Missing “of” is not the issue; “Despite” never takes “of”.
4 (B) in spite of
- Why it is correct: A multi-word preposition that perfectly precedes the gerund (V-ing) phrase “waiting forty-five minutes”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (C) Structural Error: Conjunctions cannot be followed by a gerund phrase in this manner; they require a subject and a conjugated verb (e.g., even though we waited). (D) Common Mistake.
5 (C) Despite
- Why it is correct: Correctly uses the grammatical bridge “the fact that” to link the preposition “Despite” to the full clause (“the restaurant just opened last week”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: “Although the fact that” is redundant and incorrect. Conjunctions connect to clauses directly without needing “the fact that”. (D) Structural Error: Missing “of”.
6 (A) Although
- Why it is correct: Connects the dependent clause (“I usually avoid seafood entirely”) to the independent main clause.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) & (C) Structural Error: Prepositions cannot be followed by a full clause. (D) Common Mistake.
7 (C) despite
- Why it is correct: Directly precedes the noun phrase “the pastry chef’s stellar reputation”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Conjunctions require a full clause. (D) Meaning Trap: “Because of” indicates cause, meaning the bad dessert was caused by the stellar reputation, which makes no logical sense.
8 (C) In spite of
- Why it is correct: A preposition correctly followed by the gerund phrase “arriving ten minutes before closing time”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Must be followed by a full clause (e.g., Although we arrived). (D) Common Mistake: “Despite of” is invalid.
9 (C) Even though
- Why it is correct: Introduces the full subject-verb clause (“the exterior of the building looks quite run-down”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Prepositions cannot directly precede a full clause. (D) Common Mistake.
10 (B) However
- Why it is correct: A conjunctive adverb used to start a new, independent sentence that contrasts with the previous one.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (C), and (D) are all subordinating conjunctions or prepositions that cannot stand alone with a comma to bridge two independent sentences in this way.
11 (A) Despite
- Why it is correct: Introduces the noun phrase “its prestigious Michelin star rating”.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) & (C) Structural Error: Require a full clause with a subject and verb. (D) Meaning Trap: Removes the contrast (the casual vibe exists in contrast to the fancy rating, not because of it).
12 (C) even though
- Why it is correct: Connects the main clause to the dependent subject-verb clause (“they completely messed up our drink orders”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Prepositions cannot be followed by a full clause. (D) Common Mistake.
13 (B) In spite of
- Why it is correct: Introduces the noun phrase “a few minor hiccups with the reservation system”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (C) Structural Error: Require a full clause. (D) Structural Error: Missing “of”.
14 (C) Although
- Why it is correct: Used with a full clause (“the wine list is severely overpriced”) to give the blogger’s complaint appropriate detail and weight before praising the cocktail.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Cannot be followed directly by a full clause. (D) Common Mistake.
15 (B) even though
- Why it is correct: Introduces the dependent clause with a subject (“the side vegetables”) and a verb (“were”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (C) Structural Error: Prepositions cannot be followed by a full clause. (D) Common Mistake.
16 (A) Despite
- Why it is correct: A preposition correctly followed by the passive gerund phrase “being tucked away in a hidden… alley”.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) & (C) Structural Error: Require a subject and a conjugated verb. (D) Structural Error: Missing “of”.
17 (D) Even though
- Why it is correct: Connects the dependent clause (“we explicitly complained about the drafty window”) to the main action.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Prepositions cannot be followed by a full clause. (C) Common Mistake.
18 (B) Nevertheless
- Why it is correct: A formal transition adverb used to start a new sentence, meaning “in spite of that.” It introduces a major compliment after a complaint.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (C), and (D) are structural errors as they cannot be used independently followed by a comma to link two separate sentences.
19 (A) Despite
- Why it is correct: Correctly precedes the long noun phrase “the undeniable quality of the locally sourced ingredients”.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) & (C) Structural Error: Conjunctions require a subject and a verb (e.g., Although the quality is undeniable). (D) Structural Error: “Despite of” is incorrect.
20 (C) Although
- Why it is correct: Connects the dependent clause (“they clearly need to hire more waitstaff…”) to the final review score. Using a full clause here allows the blogger to give specific, constructive criticism.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Prepositions cannot precede a full subject-verb clause. (D) Common Mistake.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When writing a review, your followers want to know both the good and the bad. To sound objective and fair at a B2/C1 level, you must use Concession grammar accurately.
- Giving Weight to Criticism (Although / Even though + Clause):
- Structure: Although + Subject + Verb
- Example: “Although the service was slow, the food was great.”
- Why it works: By dedicating a full clause to the negative aspect, you provide a clear, detailed warning to your readers. It shows you aren’t ignoring the flaws, making your positive verdict much more trustworthy.
- Glossing Over Minor Flaws (Despite / In spite of + Noun/V-ing):
- Structure: Despite + Noun Phrase / V-ing
- Example: “Despite the noise, we loved the food.” / “Despite waiting, we loved the food.”
- Why it works: If the flaw was small and you want to focus heavily on the positive experience, turn the complaint into a quick noun phrase or gerund. It shrinks the problem grammatically.
- The Golden Rules to Avoid Losing Points:
- NEVER write “Despite of“. (It is Despite OR In spite of).
- NEVER write “Although the fact that“. (It is Despite the fact that).
- NEVER start a sentence with “Although,” and a comma. (Although needs to connect directly to a subject and verb without a comma immediately after it).