in spite of
🔊 Pronunciation
/ɪn ˈspaɪt əv/
📝 Conjunction Type
Type: subordinating (functions as complex preposition)
Function: concessive
Register: formal to neutral
📖 Meanings & Functions
introduces a contrast showing that something happens or is true even though there is something that might prevent it; despite the fact that; regardless of
Relation: concession – acknowledges an obstacle or contrary fact that does not prevent the main action
“In spite of the rain, we continued hiking.”
“She succeeded in spite of numerous obstacles.”
“In spite of his age, he runs marathons regularly.”
Function: signals that the writer/speaker is acknowledging a potential counterargument or obstacle while asserting the main point remains valid
emphasizes unexpected outcome or contradiction between circumstances and results
Relation: adversative contrast – highlights surprising or counterintuitive relationship
“In spite of studying for weeks, he failed the exam.”
“The company thrived in spite of the economic downturn.”
“In spite of warnings, tourists continued to visit the area.”
🔗 Syntactic Patterns
Clause initial
In spite of + noun phrase/gerund, main clause
“In spite of the difficulties, the project was completed on time.”
Punctuation: comma required after the prepositional phrase
Clause medial
Subject + verb + in spite of + noun phrase/gerund
“The team succeeded in spite of limited resources.”
Punctuation: no comma required in standard usage
Clause final
Main clause + in spite of + noun phrase/gerund
“They won the championship in spite of injuries to key players.”
Punctuation: no comma typically required
Parenthetical use
Subject + verb, in spite of + noun phrase, continuation
“The company, in spite of market volatility, maintained steady growth.”
Punctuation: commas required on both sides
✍️ Punctuation Rules
Comma Usage
Before conjunction: never – 'in spite of' is not preceded by comma when medial or final
After conjunction: always when clause-initial (after the entire prepositional phrase)
With introductory clause: comma required: 'In spite of the weather, we went outside.'
In lists: not applicable – does not coordinate list items
✓ In spite of the rain, the game continued.
❌ In spite of the rain the game continued.
comma required after introductory prepositional phrase
✓ The team won in spite of injuries.
❌ The team won, in spite of injuries.
no comma before 'in spite of' in final position unless parenthetical
✓ She succeeded, in spite of many obstacles, in her mission.
❌ She succeeded in spite of many obstacles in her mission.
commas required for parenthetical use to set off the phrase
🔗 Clause Combining
Can connect:
Phrases Sentences
Tense patterns:
Present combinations:
In spite of the challenges, we make progress every day.
She works efficiently in spite of constant interruptions.
In spite of being tired, he continues working.
Past combinations:
In spite of the warnings, they proceeded with the plan.
The event was successful in spite of poor weather.
In spite of having studied, she felt unprepared.
Mixed tense rules: the tense in the main clause is independent; the noun phrase or gerund after 'in spite of' does not change tense
Sequence of tenses: not applicable as 'in spite of' takes noun phrases or gerunds, not finite clauses
📚 Discourse & Coherence
Text organization: signals concessive relationship between ideas; acknowledges counterevidence while maintaining thesis; creates nuanced argumentation
Paragraph use: often used at paragraph beginnings to acknowledge opposing viewpoints or obstacles before presenting main argument
Academic writing: highly valued for showing critical thinking; demonstrates awareness of complexity; used to present nuanced analysis that acknowledges limitations or counterevidence
Coherence patterns:
Argumentation: presents obstacle, then shows success despite it
Narrative: creates tension by highlighting challenges overcome
Description: contrasts expected and actual characteristics
Problem-solution: acknowledges constraints while presenting solutions
⚠️ Common Errors
❌ In spite of the rain was heavy, we went out.→✓ In spite of the heavy rain, we went out. OR Although the rain was heavy, we went out.
'In spite of' must be followed by a noun phrase or gerund, not a finite clause with subject and verb
Common for: speakers of languages where concessive markers take clauses may transfer this pattern
❌ In spite of he was tired, he continued working.→✓ In spite of being tired, he continued working. OR Although he was tired, he continued working.
pronoun cannot directly follow 'in spite of'; requires gerund or noun phrase
Common for: common among speakers whose L1 uses subordinating conjunctions that take clauses
❌ Despite of the weather, we played soccer.→✓ Despite the weather, we played soccer. OR In spite of the weather, we played soccer.
'despite' and 'in spite of' are often confused; 'despite' alone is sufficient
❌ In spite of the difficulties. We succeeded.→✓ In spite of the difficulties, we succeeded.
the prepositional phrase must be connected to the main clause, not separated as fragment
High – creates sentence fragment that obscures logical relationship impact
❌ We succeeded, in spite of, the difficulties.→✓ We succeeded in spite of the difficulties. OR We succeeded, in spite of the difficulties, in our mission.
the entire prepositional phrase 'in spite of the difficulties' must stay together; cannot separate 'in spite of' from its object
Common for: may occur with speakers whose L1 has more flexible word order
❌ In spite of I studied hard, I failed.→✓ In spite of studying hard, I failed. OR Although I studied hard, I failed.
subject pronoun cannot follow 'in spite of'; must use gerund or switch to subordinating conjunction
🌍 Etymology
Origin: Middle English, from Old French 'despit' (contempt, scorn) from Latin 'despectus' (looking down on), past participle of 'despicere' (to look down on, despise)
Original meaning: “the phrase 'in spite of' originally meant 'in defiance of' or 'in contempt of,' carrying stronger emotional connotations of deliberate opposition”
Development: over time, the phrase evolved from expressing deliberate defiance to simply indicating contrast or concession; the emotional intensity weakened to become a neutral marker of unexpected outcome