Despite / In spite of vs. Although / Even though – English Grammar Exercises for B2
A live news broadcast delivering a macroeconomic report on the surprising resilience of the economy.
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence from the news anchor’s teleprompter.
1 “Good evening. ______ the recent global pandemic, the national unemployment rate has dropped to a historic low.”
(A) Although
(B) Despite
(C) Even though
(D) In spite
2 “The stock market experienced a massive surge today, ______ economists predicted a severe downturn.”
(A) even though
(B) despite
(C) in spite of
(D) despite of
3 “______ rising global inflation, domestic consumer spending remains remarkably robust this quarter.”
(A) Although
(B) Even though
(C) In spite of
(D) Despite of
4 “______ the central bank raised interest rates twice this month, the housing market continues to boom.”
(A) Despite
(B) In spite of
(C) Although
(D) Despite of
5 “Many small businesses have successfully expanded their operations ______ facing unprecedented supply chain disruptions.”
(A) despite
(B) although
(C) even though
(D) despite of
6 “______ a significant decrease in foreign investment, the local tech sector generated record-breaking profits this year.”
(A) Although
(B) Even though
(C) In spite of
(D) Because
7 “The national currency has stabilized beautifully, ______ the fact that our main export market recently collapsed.”
(A) although
(B) despite
(C) even though
(D) in spite
8 “______ manufacturing costs have skyrocketed, major retailers have managed to keep prices relatively stable for consumers.”
(A) Despite
(B) In spite of
(C) Even though
(D) Despite of
9 “______ suffering heavy financial losses in the first quarter, the aviation industry is showing incredible signs of recovery.”
(A) Although
(B) Even though
(C) Despite
(D) Because of
10 “The government’s new economic relief package was overwhelmingly approved ______ facing fierce opposition from the minority party.”
(A) although
(B) in spite of
(C) even though
(D) despite of
11 “______ the undeniable threat of a global recession, local entrepreneurs are opening new startups at a record pace.”
(A) Although
(B) Even though
(C) Despite
(D) Despite of
12 “Corporate bankruptcies have actually decreased this year, ______ many experts warned of an impending financial collapse.”
(A) despite
(B) in spite of
(C) although
(D) despite of
13 “______ experiencing a devastating energy crisis, the European manufacturing index remained largely unaffected.”
(A) Although
(B) In spite of
(C) Even though
(D) Despite of
14 “______ the national debt is at an all-time high, international credit agencies have maintained our triple-A rating.”
(A) Despite
(B) In spite of
(C) Even though
(D) Despite of
15 “Retail sales surged by an impressive 8% during the holiday season ______ the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.”
(A) although
(B) despite
(C) even though
(D) despite of
16 “______ lacking substantial government subsidies, the green energy sector grew by 25% over the last twelve months.”
(A) Despite
(B) Although
(C) Even though
(D) In spite
17 “The tourism industry has bounced back completely ______ the fact that international travel restrictions were only recently lifted.”
(A) although
(B) even though
(C) in spite of
(D) despite of
18 “______ severe weather events destroyed a large portion of the agricultural yield, overall food exports increased.”
(A) Despite
(B) In spite of
(C) Although
(D) Despite of
19 “Job creation in the private sector continues to accelerate ______ the looming threat of corporate tax hikes.”
(A) although
(B) even though
(C) despite
(D) despite of
20 “______ being heavily impacted by the recent trade embargo, the automotive industry has successfully pivoted to domestic suppliers.”
(A) Although
(B) Even though
(C) In spite of
(D) Despite of
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) Despite
- Why it is correct: “Despite” is a preposition of concession perfectly followed by the noun phrase “the recent global pandemic”. It creates a punchy, journalistic opening.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (C) Structural Error: Conjunctions must be followed by a full subject and verb clause (e.g., Although there was a pandemic). (D) Structural Error: Missing the preposition “of”.
2 (A) even though
- Why it is correct: “Even though” is a subordinating conjunction that connects the main clause to a full dependent clause (“economists predicted a severe downturn”).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) & (C) Structural Error: Prepositions cannot be followed directly by a full subject-verb clause. (D) Common Mistake: “Despite of” is grammatically invalid.
3 (C) In spite of
- Why it is correct: A multi-word preposition that correctly precedes the noun phrase “rising global inflation”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Conjunctions require a subject and a conjugated verb (e.g., Although inflation is rising). (D) Common Mistake: “Despite” never takes the preposition “of”.
4 (C) Although
- Why it is correct: “Although” acts as a subordinating conjunction, properly introducing the dependent clause with a subject and verb (“the central bank raised interest rates…”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Prepositions cannot be followed by a full clause. (D) Common Mistake.
5 (A) despite
- Why it is correct: Correctly followed by the gerund (V-ing) phrase “facing unprecedented supply chain disruptions”. This allows the anchor to report the action quickly.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) & (C) Structural Error: Must be followed by a subject and a conjugated verb (e.g., even though they faced…). (D) Structural Error: “Despite of” is a classic error.
6 (C) In spite of
- Why it is correct: Introduces the noun phrase “a significant decrease in foreign investment”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Conjunctions require a full clause. (D) Meaning Trap: “Because” ruins the logic, implying the profits happened due to the decrease in investment rather than overcoming it.
7 (B) despite
- Why it is correct: To use a preposition with a full clause (“our main export market recently collapsed”), you must use the grammatical bridge “the fact that”. “Despite” perfectly fits this structure (“despite the fact that…”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (C) Structural Error: “Although the fact that” is redundant and incorrect. (D) Structural Error: Missing “of”.
8 (C) Even though
- Why it is correct: Introduces the full subject-verb clause (“manufacturing costs have skyrocketed”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Prepositions cannot directly precede a full subject-verb clause. (D) Common Mistake.
9 (C) Despite
- Why it is correct: A preposition perfectly followed by the gerund phrase “suffering heavy financial losses”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Conjunctions require a subject and a conjugated verb (e.g., Although they suffered…). (D) Meaning Trap: Removes the contrast.
10 (B) in spite of
- Why it is correct: Introduces the gerund phrase “facing fierce opposition”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (C) Structural Error: Require a full clause. (D) Common Mistake.
11 (C) Despite
- Why it is correct: Directly precedes the noun phrase “the undeniable threat of a global recession”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Conjunctions require a subject and a verb. (D) Structural Error: “Despite of” does not exist in standard English.
12 (C) although
- Why it is correct: Connects the independent clause to the full dependent clause (“many experts warned of an impending financial collapse”).
- 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: A preposition correctly followed by the gerund phrase “experiencing a devastating energy crisis”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (C) Structural Error: Require a full clause. (D) Common Mistake.
14 (C) Even though
- Why it is correct: Introduces the full subject-verb clause (“the national debt is at an all-time high”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Prepositions cannot be followed directly by a full clause. (D) Common Mistake.
15 (B) despite
- Why it is correct: Directly precedes the noun phrase “the ongoing cost-of-living crisis”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (C) Structural Error: Cannot precede a noun phrase. (D) Common Mistake: “Despite of” is invalid.
16 (A) Despite
- Why it is correct: Correctly followed by the negative gerund phrase “lacking substantial government subsidies”.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) & (C) Structural Error: Require a subject and a conjugated verb. (D) Structural Error: Missing “of”.
17 (C) in spite of
- Why it is correct: Correctly uses the grammatical bridge “the fact that” to link the preposition to the full clause (“international travel restrictions were only recently lifted”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: “Although the fact that” is redundant. Conjunctions connect to clauses directly. (D) Common Mistake.
18 (C) Although
- Why it is correct: Used with a full clause (“severe weather events destroyed a large portion…”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Cannot be followed directly by a full clause. (D) Common Mistake.
19 (C) despite
- Why it is correct: Introduces the noun phrase “the looming threat of corporate tax hikes”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Must be followed by a full clause. (D) Common Mistake.
20 (C) In spite of
- Why it is correct: A preposition correctly introducing the passive gerund phrase “being heavily impacted by the recent trade embargo”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Conjunctions require a subject and verb (e.g., Even though it was heavily impacted). (D) Common Mistake: “Despite of” is incorrect.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When writing headlines, delivering a presentation, or reporting on a complex situation, you want your language to sound authoritative and concise.
- The “Headline Formula” (Despite + Noun):
- Wordy (Clause): “Even though there was a massive global pandemic…”
- Punchy (Noun Phrase): “Despite the global pandemic…”
- Why it works: News anchors have limited time. Using prepositions like Despite or In spite of allows you to package a massive, devastating event into a single noun phrase. It speeds up the sentence and shines the spotlight on the main news (the resilience and recovery).
- Using Gerunds to Report Actions (Despite + V-ing):
- You can efficiently summarize a negative action without a full sentence by using a gerund.
- Example: “In spite of suffering heavy losses, the company bounced back.”
- The “Fact That” Bridge in Reporting:
- If a news anchor must report a full sentence but wants the strong, formal tone of a preposition, they use the bridge: the fact that.
- Example: “Despite the fact that interest rates skyrocketed, people are still buying homes.”
- The Ultimate Grammar Trap:
- NEVER write “Despite of“. It is a grammatical error that instantly undermines professional writing.
- Remember: In spite uses three words (In spite of). Despite stands proudly alone as one word.