EnglishBlitz

TOEIC Link Part 5 — Despite vs Although: Preposition or Conjunction Selection

Despite the delay, the shipment arrived — or was it although the shipment was delayed? Part 5 pairs despite and in spite of against although and though because the four look interchangeable in meaning but split hard on grammar: despite takes a noun, although takes a clause. This guide fixes the choice on what follows the blank, not on feel, and drills the distractor logic on workplace items.

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____ the tight schedule, the team delivered the report on time. The options are Although, Despite, Even, and While. Learners who translate the sentence in their head reach for Although because it "sounds like the meaning." The intended answer is Despite — what follows the blank is a noun phrase, the tight schedule, and the concession word that attaches to a bare noun is despite, not although. This guide takes the two families of concession words apart so the choice is structural, not a matter of ear.

Two families that mean the same thing

Despite / in spite of and although / though / even though all express concession: the second idea happens even though the first would normally prevent it. The meaning is identical across all of them. What differs is the grammar of what each one is allowed to attach to.

despite / in spite of + noun phrase

although / though / even though + subject + verb (a full clause)

Read the skeletons and the split is clean:

  • **Despite** the rain, the event went ahead. — despite grips the bare noun the rain.
  • **Although** it was raining, the event went ahead. — although grips the whole clause it was raining.

Same message, two containers. The exam item forces you to notice which container the sentence has already opened.

The one-second test: what follows the blank?

You do not need to feel the sentence. Look at what comes immediately after the blank:

  • A noun or noun phrase standing alone → despite / in spite of (despite the cost, in spite of the warnings)
  • A subject + verb → although / though / even though (although the cost was high, even though they warned us)

____ the strong demand, production stayed flat. The next chunk is the strong demand, a noun phrase — the answer is Despite. ____ demand was strong, production stayed flat. The next chunk is demand was strong, a subject and verb — the answer is Although. The sentence tells you which family it wants before you ever weigh the meaning. If the concession itself is the trap rather than the structure, the listening drill in concession and contrast marker decoding works the same logic on the audio side.

The -ing trap: despite + gerund

Part 5 loves to slip a gerund after the blank because a gerund is a noun, not a clause.

  • **Despite** working overtime, they missed the deadline. ✓ — working is a gerund, so despite is correct.
  • ~~Although working overtime, they missed the deadline.~~ ✗ — although needs a subject and a conjugated verb, not a bare -ing form.

If you see ____ + verb-ing with no subject, the blank wants a preposition (despite / in spite of), never although. To fix why an -ing word counts as a noun here, the category breakdown in gerunds and infinitives settles the underlying question.

The "despite of" error

The single most common wrong answer set includes despite of. It does not exist. The two correct forms are:

  • despite (no of)
  • in spite of (with of)

Learners blend them into despite of, and Part 5 plants exactly that hybrid as a distractor. If an option reads despite of, eliminate it on sight — the grammar is broken regardless of what the sentence means.

The fact that: bridging the two families

When you want a full clause but the sentence structure demands a noun after despite, English uses despite the fact that + clause:

  • **Despite the fact that** the budget was cut, the project shipped. ✓

This is why "despite can't take a clause" feels slippery — despite the fact that smuggles a clause in behind a noun (the fact). Part 5 rarely tests the full phrase, but recognizing it stops you from second-guessing the core rule: bare despite still takes only a noun.

Worked items

1. ____ the higher price, customers preferred the premium model. (A) Although (B) Despite (C) Because (D) Even What follows is the higher price, a noun phrase → (B) Despite. Because reverses the logic; Even cannot stand alone here; Although needs a clause.

2. ____ the results were promising, the board postponed the launch. (A) Despite (B) In spite of (C) Although (D) Regardless What follows is the results were promising, a full clause → (C) Although. Both Despite and In spite of need a noun; Regardless requires of.

3. The firm expanded ____ facing strong competition. (A) although (B) even though (C) despite (D) because What follows is facing, a gerund → (C) despite. The clause conjunctions cannot attach to a bare -ing form.

The decision in one line

Look at the word right after the blank. Noun or gerund → despite / in spite of. Subject + verb → although / though / even though. The meaning is the same either way, so let the grammar of the following word — not your ear — pick the answer. For the mirror-image case where the concession word is right but the verb tense is the trap, review as if and as though tense selection for real versus unreal comparison.