Despite / In spite of vs. Although / Even though – English Grammar Exercises for B2
A heartfelt confession about a best friend, acknowledging that the two individuals have completely opposite personalities.
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence from the storyteller’s confession.
1 “______ we have absolutely nothing in common, Mark and I have been best friends for over ten years.”
(A) Despite
(B) Even though
(C) In spite of
(D) Because
2 “We manage to stay incredibly close ______ our completely opposite tastes in music, movies, and hobbies.”
(A) although
(B) despite of
(C) despite
(D) even though
3 “______ arguing almost every single day about the most trivial things, we always make up by the evening.”
(A) Although
(B) Even though
(C) In spite of
(D) Despite of
4 “I trust her with my deepest secrets, ______ she can be incredibly irresponsible and loud sometimes.”
(A) despite
(B) in spite of
(C) even though
(D) despite the fact
5 “______ the fact that she is a massive extrovert and I am a quiet introvert, our dynamic just works perfectly.”
(A) Although
(B) Even though
(C) Despite
(D) In spite
6 “People often assume we secretly hate each other ______ our constant public bickering.”
(A) although
(B) despite
(C) even though
(D) in spite
7 “I absolutely love spending time with him ______ he talks endlessly about nerdy topics I don’t understand.”
(A) even though
(B) despite
(C) despite of
(D) in spite
8 “______ having entirely opposite political views, we never let it ruin our weekly dinner dates.”
(A) Although
(B) Even though
(C) Despite
(D) Despite of
9 “She is the most loyal and loving person I know, ______ her terrible habit of always being an hour late.”
(A) although
(B) even though
(C) in spite of
(D) despite of
10 “______ we are polar opposites in almost every way, I couldn’t imagine navigating life without her.”
(A) In spite of
(B) Despite
(C) Although
(D) Because
11 “Our friendship is rock solid, ______ all the major disagreements we have survived over the years.”
(A) despite
(B) even though
(C) although
(D) despite of
12 “______ the vast differences in our cultural backgrounds, we share the exact same core values.”
(A) Although
(B) Even though
(C) In spite of
(D) Despite of
13 “I will always stand firmly by his side ______ the fact that he makes some very questionable life decisions.”
(A) despite
(B) although
(C) even though
(D) in spite
14 “______ she drives me absolutely crazy with her stubbornness, she is the only one who truly understands my heart.”
(A) Even though
(B) Despite
(C) In spite of
(D) Despite the fact
15 “We somehow manage to travel perfectly together ______ having completely different ideas of a fun vacation.”
(A) although
(B) even though
(C) despite
(D) despite of
16 “______ I am a massive neat freak and she is incredibly messy, we were the perfect roommates in college.”
(A) Despite
(B) In spite of
(C) Even though
(D) Despite the fact
17 “He is my absolute favorite person to talk to, ______ his brutally honest and sometimes harsh opinions.”
(A) despite
(B) although
(C) even though
(D) in spite
18 “______ being complete opposites on paper, our contrasting personalities complement each other beautifully.”
(A) Although
(B) Even though
(C) In spite of
(D) Despite of
19 “We never run out of exciting things to talk about, ______ we rarely agree on anything.”
(A) despite
(B) in spite of
(C) even though
(D) despite of
20 “______ all our endless fighting and dramatic differences, she will always be my platonic soulmate.”
(A) Although
(B) Despite
(C) Even though
(D) In spite
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) Even though
- Why it is correct: “Even though” is a strong subordinating conjunction used to emphasize a surprising contrast. It must be followed by a full clause (Subject + Verb), which in this case is “we have”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (C) Structural Error: Prepositions cannot be followed by a full clause. (D) Meaning Trap: “Because” removes the contrast entirely.
2 (C) despite
- Why it is correct: “Despite” is a preposition that must be followed by a noun phrase (“our completely opposite tastes”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (D) Structural Error: Conjunctions must be followed by a full subject-verb clause. (B) Common Mistake: “Despite” never takes the preposition “of”.
3 (C) In spite of
- Why it is correct: A multi-word preposition that correctly precedes the gerund (V-ing) phrase “arguing almost every single day”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: “Although” and “Even though” require a full clause (e.g., Even though we argue). (D) Common Mistake: “Despite of” is grammatically invalid.
4 (C) even though
- Why it is correct: Connects the main clause to a dependent clause (“she can be…”). “Even though” adds emotional weight, acknowledging a harsh truth (she is irresponsible) while emphasizing that the friendship survives it.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Cannot be followed directly by a full clause. (D) Structural Error: Missing the relative pronoun “that” (despite the fact that).
5 (C) Despite
- Why it is correct: If you want to use a preposition but have a full clause (“she is a massive extrovert”), you must bridge it with the noun phrase “the fact that”. “Despite” perfectly fits this structure.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: “Although the fact that” is redundant and grammatically incorrect. (D) Structural Error: Missing “of”.
6 (B) despite
- Why it is correct: Properly precedes the noun phrase “our constant public bickering”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (C) Structural Error: Conjunctions require a full clause (e.g., even though we bicker). (D) Structural Error: Missing “of”.
7 (A) even though
- Why it is correct: Introduces the full subject-verb clause (“he talks endlessly”) to highlight a highly annoying trait that the speaker chooses to overlook.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) & (D) Structural Error: Prepositions cannot be followed by a full clause. (C) Common Mistake: Invalid idiom.
8 (C) Despite
- Why it is correct: A preposition correctly followed by a gerund phrase (“having entirely opposite political views”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Conjunctions require a subject and a conjugated verb. (D) Common Mistake: “Despite of” is an incorrect combination.
9 (C) in spite of
- Why it is correct: Introduces the noun phrase “her terrible habit of always being an hour late”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Require a full clause. (D) Common Mistake: Invalid idiom.
10 (C) Although
- Why it is correct: Connects the dependent clause (“we are polar opposites”) to the independent clause.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Prepositions cannot directly precede a full subject-verb clause. (D) Meaning Trap: Removes the element of contrast (I couldn’t live without her because we are opposites vs. even though we are opposites).
11 (A) despite
- Why it is correct: Correctly precedes the noun phrase “all the major disagreements”.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) & (C) Structural Error: Must be followed by a full clause. (D) Common Mistake: Incorrect preposition addition.
12 (C) In spite of
- Why it is correct: Introduces the noun phrase “the vast differences in our cultural backgrounds”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Must be followed by a full clause. (D) Common Mistake: Invalid combination.
13 (A) despite
- Why it is correct: “Despite” acts as the preposition for the noun phrase “the fact”, which acts as a bridge for the subsequent “that” clause.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) & (C) Structural Error: “Although the fact that” is grammatically invalid. (D) Structural Error: Missing “of”.
14 (A) Even though
- Why it is correct: Used with a full clause (“she drives me absolutely crazy”). “Even though” creates an extreme contrast, boldly stating a negative, harsh truth to amplify the positive, unconditional love in the second clause.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) & (C) Structural Error: Cannot be followed by a full clause. (D) Structural Error: Missing “that” to link the clause.
15 (C) despite
- Why it is correct: A preposition correctly followed by a gerund phrase (“having completely different ideas”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Require a subject and a conjugated verb. (D) Common Mistake.
16 (C) Even though
- Why it is correct: Introduces two contrasting clauses (“I am a neat freak and she is incredibly messy”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Cannot precede a full clause. (D) Structural Error: Missing “that”.
17 (A) despite
- Why it is correct: Correctly followed by the noun phrase “his brutally honest and sometimes harsh opinions”.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) & (C) Structural Error: Must be followed by a full clause. (D) Structural Error: Missing “of”.
18 (C) In spite of
- Why it is correct: Correctly followed by the gerund phrase “being complete opposites”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Must be followed by a full clause. (D) Common Mistake: “Despite of” does not exist.
19 (C) even though
- Why it is correct: Connects the dependent clause (“we rarely agree on anything”) to the main action. It emphasizes the raw, unapologetic nature of their differences.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (B) Structural Error: Prepositions cannot be followed by a full clause. (D) Common Mistake.
20 (B) Despite
- Why it is correct: A preposition correctly introducing the noun phrase “all our endless fighting and dramatic differences”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) & (C) Structural Error: Conjunctions require a subject and verb. (D) Structural Error: Missing “of”.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When talking about relationships, using contrast markers allows you to acknowledge someone’s flaws while affirming your love for them. To do this fluently at a B2/C1 level, you must master the grammar rules behind these words:
- The Clause Rule (Subject + Verb):
- Use Although / Even though / Though.
- Example: “Even though we fight all the time, she is my best friend.”
- Emotional Nuance: Even though is stronger and more emphatic than although. It is perfect for confessions, as it highlights a harsh, extreme truth (we fight constantly) to make the positive outcome (we are best friends) seem even more powerful.
- The Noun Rule (Noun Phrase or V-ing):
- Use Despite / In spite of.
- Example: “Despite our endless fighting, she is my best friend.”
- Function: This structure allows you to package the obstacle into a quick noun phrase, making your sentence sound more sophisticated and concise.
- The “Fact That” Bridge:
- If you have a full clause but want to use a preposition, you must use the “bridge” phrase: Despite the fact that… / In spite of the fact that…
- Correct: Despite the fact that she is messy, I love living with her.
- The Ultimate Grammar Trap:
- NEVER write or say “Despite of“. This is a classic learner mistake.
- Memory Trick: “In spite” has three words (In spite of). “Despite” is strong enough to stand alone as one word (Despite).