Our grammar point of the week is about despite/in spite of and although. Our English lesson this week is about sleep.

Although, I slept for 8 hours I still feel tired. 

In spite of my busy schedule I manage to get 8 hours of sleep every night. 

Can you switch although and in spite of in these sentences? No. English learners often confuse when to use although or despite/in spite of. They serve the same purpose to talk about contrast or something that is contradictory, however they have a different grammatical form which can confuse an English learner. Look at the sentences below:

Despite he is always late for work he wakes up early.  Although is correct here because it is followed by a subject + verb. 

Alhough the awful bed I slept really well. Despite should be used here because it is followed by a noun ‘the awful bed’. 

If these are confusing, watch the video below and do the exercise.

Match the sentence halves: 

a. In spite of his age                          b. despite the low salary and long hours.                                     c. in spite of the rain.                             d. I couldn’t sleep.                                     e. we aren’t close

1. Although I was tired________________________.

2. I like my job______________________________.

3. I rode my bike home ______________________.

4. Although we went to school together____________________________.

5. _____________________________he runs every day.

Do you get enough sleep? I feel tired often although I usually sleep 8 hours.