In spite of and despite
In spite of and despite are prepositional expressions.
In spite of and despite have a similar meaning to although or even though. They express a contrast between two things. They are both more common in writing than in speaking. Despite is a little more formal than in spite of.
We usually use in spite of and despite with a noun:
He got the job in spite of his prison record.
[recession is a time when the economy of a country is not good]
John’s company is doing extremely well despite the recession.
We can also use in spite of and despite with -ing:
He was very fast in spite of being terribly overweight.
They arrived late despite leaving in plenty of time.
Warning:
We don’t use a that-clause after in spite of or despite. We use in spite of the fact that or despite the fact that:
When they arrived at Malaga it was hot, in spite of the fact that it was only the end of April.
Not: … in spite of that it was only the end of April
In spite of is written as three separate words. We never use of with despite:
They enjoyed the rides in spite of the long queues. (or … despite the long queues.)
Not: … inspite the long queues or … despite of the long queues.
