Learn to Use “In Spite Of” — Interactive English Notes

Characters:
👨‍🏫 MNB Achari (Teacher)
👧 Mythri (Student)
👦 Midhilesh (Student)

🎬 Introduction

👨‍🏫 MNB Achari: Good morning, class! Today, we’re going to learn a beautiful expression that shows contrast —
“In spite of”!

👧 Mythri: Sir, is it the same as but or however?

👨‍🏫 MNB Achari: Great question, Mythri!
✅ Yes, it shows contrast — something happens even though there’s a difficulty.
But unlike “but”, “in spite of” is always followed by a noun or a verb+ing (gerund).

📘 The Rule

🟡 In spite of + noun / pronoun / gerund (verb+ing), main clause

✅ Examples

🔹 In spite of the rain, the children played outside.
🔍 “the rain” is a noun → ✅ Correct!

🔹 In spite of being tired, he worked late.
🔍 “being tired” is a gerund phrase → ✅ Correct!

🔹 In spite of his illness, he went to work.
🔍 Noun phrase → ✅ Correct!

🔹 In spite of studying hard, she failed the test.
🔍 Gerund (-ing verb) → ✅ Correct!

🔹 In spite of the noise, I could sleep well.
🔍 Noun → ✅ Correct!

🔹 In spite of being poor, he donated to charity.
🔍 Gerund phrase → ✅ Correct!

⚠️ Common Mistakes

🚫 Avoid using a full clause after “in spite of”.
✅ Use a noun or gerund instead.

📝 Practice Time

Fill in the blanks using “In spite of” + noun / -ing form:

1. ________ the cold weather, we went hiking.
2. ________ failing the test, she didn’t give up.
3. ________ his fear, he spoke on stage.
4. ________ having a headache, I completed the assignment.

💬 Student Interaction

👧 Mythri: Sir, can we also use “despite” in place of “in spite of”?

👨‍🏫 MNB Achari:
🟢 Yes! “Despite” works the same way.