Despite, in spite of, whereas and while
Despite the rain, in spite of feeling ill, despite the fact that, whereas I prefer tea: contrast in one sentence.
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At B1 you used although and however for a contrast. Despite and in spite of say the same thing, but the grammar after them is different: they are prepositions, so they take a noun or an -ing form, not a clause. Whereas and while do a different job: they put two different facts side by side.
Linker | What follows | Example |
|---|---|---|
although, even though | a clause | Although it rained, we went out. |
despite, in spite of | a noun or -ing | Despite the rain, we went out. |
despite the fact that | a clause | Despite the fact that it rained, we went. |
whereas, while | a clause | I like tea, whereas my wife prefers coffee. |
Despite and in spite of + a noun
Despite and in spite of mean the same. Despite is a little more formal. Both are followed directly by a noun or a pronoun.
- Despite the rain, the match went ahead.
- We enjoyed the holiday in spite of the terrible food.
- She got the job despite her lack of experience.
- Incorrect: Despite of the rain, we went for a walk.
- Correct: Despite the rain, we went for a walk. / In spite of the rain, we went for a walk.Despite has no of. In spite of has of. Don't mix them.
Despite + -ing
When the subject is the same in both parts, use despite or in spite of + -ing. The negative is despite not + -ing.
- Despite feeling ill, she went to work.
- In spite of having a map, we got lost.
- He passed the exam despite not studying very much.
- Incorrect: Despite she felt ill, she went to work.
- Correct: Despite feeling ill, she went to work. / Although she felt ill, she went to work.A clause (she felt ill) can't follow despite. Use -ing, or use although.
Despite the fact that + a clause
To keep a full clause after despite or in spite of, add the fact that. It is common in writing, but in speech although is shorter and more usual.
- Despite the fact that he earns a lot, he never has any money.
- In spite of the fact that the tickets were expensive, the concert sold out.
- Incorrect: In spite the fact that it was late, we kept working.
- Correct: In spite of the fact that it was late, we kept working.In spite always needs of.
Where it goes, and the comma
Despite and in spite of can start the sentence or come after the main clause. At the start, put a comma after the first part. In the middle, no comma is needed.
- Despite the traffic, we arrived on time.
- We arrived on time despite the traffic.
Whereas and while: two different facts
Whereas and while compare two facts that are different, often about two people or two things. There is no surprise, only a difference. Whereas is a little more formal. The comma before whereas in the middle of a sentence is usual.
- My brother loves football, whereas I find it boring.
- While some people enjoy hot weather, others can't stand it.
- In the north it rains a lot, whereas the south is very dry.
While can also mean "during the time that" (I cooked while she was asleep), so in a short sentence the meaning is sometimes not clear. Whereas has only the contrast meaning.
- Incorrect: Whereas it was raining, we went for a walk.
- Correct: Although it was raining, we went for a walk.Rain and a walk are not two facts being compared. This is a surprise, so use although.
Saying it another way
The same idea can be written with each linker. Change the grammar to fit.
- Although the weather was cold, we swam.
- Despite the cold weather, we swam.
- In spite of the fact that the weather was cold, we swam.
- The weather was cold. However, we swam.