Linking Words Showing Contrast

[1]in spite of / despite
despite is more formal / + noun phrase
+ -ing verb / In spite of his age, he still drives a car.
Despitebeing old, he still drives a car.
[2]although / though /
even though
[3]in spite of the fact / despite
the fact / + subject + verb / Although / though heis old, he still drives a car.
Even though heis old, he still drives a car.
Despite the fact heis old, he still drives a car.
[4]however / nevertheless
They show two contrasting facts
Nevertheless is stronger than however / The French exam was easy. However, the chemistryexam was difficult.
[5]on the one hand, … on the
other hand, …
They show contrasting sides of the
same person or thing
On the other hand is often used alone / On the one hand, the city offers lots of entertainment. On the other hand, it's very noisy.
The lecture was boring. On the other hand, it was very short.
[6]on the contrary,
It strengthens the negative of
something / + subject + verb / The economy won't improve this year. On the contrary, it is likely to get worse.
[7]whereas / while
They introduce a contrast
between two people or things
which are in other ways
similar / Their house is on top of a hill, whereas/while ours is in the valley.
[8]in contrast to / contrary to / + noun phrase / In contrast to other TV shows, this one is very amusing.
Name: / Date: / /
Linking Words Showing Contrast /

Exercises

  1. Rewrite these sentences using in spite of, despite and however / nevertheless.

1.1he was never satisfied / he was one of the richest men in the world

______

1.2we arrived on time / the heavy traffic on the motorway

______

1.3our team lost two early goals / our team won comfortably in the end

______

1.4our present economic difficulties / the company should recover next year.

______

1.5the police chief fought against the Mafia / he received death threats

______

1.6she became president of the company / widespread prejudice against women

______

1.7the planet is beautiful / there is something frightening about it

______

1.8the Ancient Greeks discovered steam power / they did not use it industrially

______

1.9my sister eats meat / my brother is a strict vegetarian

______

1.10modern computers occupy much less space / early computers took up whole rooms

______

  1. Read the news items below. Choose between although and in spite of or despite.

2.1The government has announced that although / in spite of the sharp downturn in economic activity, it will not abandon its anti-inflation policy. Although / In spite ofunemployment increased by 250,000 last month, tight control of government spending is seen as the key to recovery.

2.2Famines and food shortage have increased in the Third Worlddespite / although improved methods of agriculture. Moreover, in spite of / although there is actually a surplus of some type of food in Western Europe and the USA, much of this food is wasted, or even destroyed.

  1. Insert on the other hand or in the contrary in these sentences.

3.1Schools nowadays do not encourage memorisation, ______, pupils do more projects and investigate work than before.

3.2Our firm has no objections to employing older people. ______, applications from people over 50 will be welcomed.

3.3I have never heard John say anything bad about you. ______, he's always spoken well of you.

3.4The original Salko GL was not an advanced car, technically, ______, it was inexpensive, comfortable and easy to maintain.

  1. Insert whereas or although.

4.1Whales and dolphins are not fish ______spend their lives in water.

4.2English is a Germanic language ______French is descended from Latin.

4.3Smoking is still a common habit ______people know it is harmful.

4.4Mercury is a metal ______it is a liquid at room temperature.

4.5Many people believe in astrology ______it lacks any scientific proof.

4.6Soccer is played with a round ball ______rugby is played with an oval ball.

4.7In Britain, spring starts in April ______in Australia it starts in September.

  1. Fill in the blanks with a suitable phrase.

5.1Helen wasn't hungry. Nevertheless, ______

5.2Even though ______, everyone walked past him.

5.3In contrast to ______, I usually stay at home at weekends.

5.4On the one hand, we love travelling abroad. On the other hand, ______

______

5.5My son is interested in sport, whereas ______

5.6In spite of ______, Mark isn't afraid of driving.

[1]in spite of, despite: a pesar de

[2]although, though, even though: aunque

[3]in spite of the fact, despite the fact: a pesar del hecho de

[4]however, nevertheless: sin embargo

[5]on the one hand,… on the other hand,…: por un lado,…por otro,…

[6]on the contrary: por el contrario

[7]whereas, while: mientras

[8]in contrast to / contrary to: a diferencia de / al contrario de