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The Contrast Connection: 'Although' vs 'Despite' Made Simple
Elevate Your Business English with Contrast-Linking Expressions
Iain Shirlaw
May 07, 2025
Welcome to Business Fluency - a newsletter designed to enhance your understanding of essential business terms and concepts and provide you with practical strategies to boost your business and career prospects.
In today’s newsletter:
The Contrast Connection: 'Although' vs 'Despite' Made Simple
Quote of the day: Anne Frank
What I’m Watching: Arnel’s Everyday English
Words of the day: Although and Despite
Business English: Test Your Knowledge
Whenever you are ready, here is how I can help you
The Contrast Connection: 'Although' vs 'Despite' Made Simple
Elevate Your Business English with Contrast-Linking Expressions
Although and Despite
This is a topic that even some of my Cambridge Advanced students struggle with - when to use ‘despite’ and when to use ‘although’.
While this comes naturally to mother tongue speakers, few of them could explain the process of which to choose.
Let's see if we can break it down in this newsletter.
Contrast Linking Expressions
Firstly, when should we use these expressions?
‘Although’ and ‘despite’ are both contrast-linking expressions - they connect ideas that seem contradictory or unexpected.
Let’s start with a basic scenario:
“Despite the rain, I went to the beach.”
“Although it was raining, I went to the beach.”
This is an unexpected action - you do not expect someone to go to the beach when it is raining.
How to use each expression
We have a clue in the uses from our two example sentences above. You will notice that ‘despite’ is followed by a noun ‘the rain’. ‘Although’ is followed by a subject and verb ‘it was raining’. This is a clause.
Note that ‘despite’ can be followed by a gerund, which is the -ing form of the verb which acts as a noun. Let’s introduce some Business English examples.
“Despite working all night, they missed the deadline.”
Additionally, we can change the order of the sentence:
“They missed the deadline despite working all night.”
In this version, the comma (,) is not necessary.
Introducing ‘the fact that’
“Although they worked all night, they missed the deadline.”
If you want to use ‘despite’ instead of ‘although’ you can introduce ‘the fact that’.
“Despite the fact that they worked all night, they missed the deadline.”
Although, Even though and though
We now have two constructions - although (subject and verb) and despite (noun or gerund). We have other options for each construction.
“Although turnover fell last year, profits increased.”
We can make this slightly more emphatic by using ‘even though’.
“Even though turnover fell last year, profits increased.”
In conversational English, we can also use ‘though’.
“Turnover fell last year; profits increased, though.”
‘Despite’ and ‘In spite of’
Similarly, we can use ‘in spite of’ in place of ‘despite’ with no change in meaning. Note that ‘despite of’ is not possible and is a common mistake among English learners.
Why so many possibilities?
You will notice that we have lots of different ways to say very similar things.
But why?
What is wrong with the following paragraph?
“Although the project started late, the team quickly caught up. Although they had fewer resources than expected, they maintained high quality. Although the deadlines were tight, they delivered the final product ahead of schedule.”
Repetition. We should avoid repetition, where possible.
Let’s see if we can improve the paragraph by incorporating some of the alternatives:
“Although the project started late, the team quickly caught up. Despite having fewer resources than expected, they maintained high quality. In spite of tight deadlines, they delivered the final product ahead of schedule.”
Next week, we will examine more contrast-linking words such as 'however,' 'nevertheless,' 'but,' and 'yet' to further enhance your ability to express contrast in professional communications.
Quote of the Day: Anne Frank
A very powerful message from Anne Frank using ‘despite’.
What I’m Watching/Reading: Arnel’s Everyday English
Word of the day: Although and Despite
Although
Although - conjunction - used to introduce a statement that makes the main statement in the sentence seem surprising or unexpected
“Although we faced significant market challenges, our Q3 sales exceeded projections.”
Alternatives:
Even though
Though
Even though - conjunction - a more emphatic version of "although"
Even though the deadline seemed impossible, the team delivered the project on time.
Although is typically followed by a subject and verb (a clause), making it different from "despite," which is followed by a noun or gerund.
Despite
Despite - preposition - without being prevented by (something)
Despite the economic downturn, the company maintained profitability throughout the year.
Alternative:
In spite of
In spite of - prepositional phrase - having the same meaning as “despite”.
In spite of receiving multiple acquisition offers, the founder decided to keep the company independent and pursue an IPO.
Despite is followed by a noun or gerund (verb + ing), rather than a complete clause, distinguishing it from "although”.
Business English: Test Your Knowledge
Which of the following is correct? |
What typically follows 'although' in a sentence? |
Which of the following is NOT a correct phrase? |
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Disclaimer:
This newsletter is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The information contained herein is generic and does not take into account your individual financial circumstances. You should always consult with a qualified financial professional before making any investment or financial decisions.
Additionally, the authors and/or publishers of this newsletter may hold investments in securities or other financial instruments mentioned herein. These are included for illustrative purposes only and should not be taken as a recommendation to buy or sell such securities or financial instruments.