ENGLISH
REFERENCE

despite the fact that

fixed phr..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

fixed phr.. you use this to show that something is true even though there is another fact that makes it surprising.

fixed phr.. a complex conjunction used to introduce a concessive clause; it allows a full clause with a subject and verb to follow the preposition 'despite'.


SIMPLE

He went for a run despite the fact that it was raining.

CONTEXTUAL

She decided to buy the house despite the fact that it was quite far from her office.

COMPLEX

The company reported record profits this quarter despite the fact that global supply chains remained severely disrupted and shipping costs had tripled.

Usage

used to connect a preposition to a full clause (subject + verb) rather than just a noun phrase.

Teaching tip

teach this as a grammatical bridge; explain that 'despite' usually takes a noun, but adding 'the fact that' allows students to use a complete sentence instead.

Pitfall

despite that it was rainingdespite the fact that it was rainingthe word 'despite' cannot be followed directly by a 'that' clause; you must include 'the fact' or use 'although' instead.

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