<B>The British Council?s language clinic with ?Dr Danny</B>?

Hello and welcome to the English Language Clinic. This week?s question is, "When is it correct to use ?despite? and when ?in spite of??" Both are used to emphasise a contrast between what could reasonably be expected and what is actually the case. Both are used to mean the opposite of ?because?, which introduces a reason. If I bought diamond covered false teeth ?because? they were expensive, the fact that they were expensive was the reason why I bought them. (If they had not been expensive, I would not have bought them.) If, however, I bought diamond covered false teeth ?in spite of? or ?despite? them being expensive, the fact that they were expensive was not the reason I bought them. By using one of the expressions, I am expressing the view that you probably thought that I would do the opposite (not buy them).

There is no difference between the expressions; if it is correct to use one, then it is correct to use the other. Some people suggest that ?despite? is more formal than ?in spite of?, but, ?despite? what they say, there is no real difference. ?Though?, ?although? and ?even though? all have a similar meaning, one which refers to the fact that ?what is the case? is ?counterintuitive?. If something is ?counterintuitive?, you would not expect it without rationally analysing it (if you relied only on your ?intuition?). For example, you might ?intuitively? think that there must be a difference between ?in spite of? and ?despite? whereas, in reality, there is not.

Please send your comments, queries and questions to me, at [email protected]

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