🧵 Grammar · Clauses, Connectors & Sentence Style
Contrast Connectors (However, Despite, Even Though)
Three small words that hold two opposite ideas together — and three different grammar rules for using them correctly.
Grammar › Clauses, Connectors & Sentence Style › Contrast Connectors (However, Despite, Even Though)
The rule in one sentenceUse however to open a new sentence, despite / in spite of before a noun or an -ing form, and even though before a full clause with its own subject and verb — three ways of joining two contrasting ideas, each with its own grammar.
What’s the difference?
All three words do the same job — they tell the reader “here comes a surprise” — but they plug into a sentence in completely different ways. Mixing them up is one of the most common mistakes at B1 and B2 level, because in many other languages one single word covers all three jobs.
However is not a conjunction — it’s a sentence adverb. It cannot glue two clauses together with just a comma. It starts a new sentence (after a full stop or semicolon) and is followed by a comma: Oppenheimer is three hours long. However, it never feels slow. It can also slide into the middle of a sentence, boxed in by commas: The reviews for Cats, however, were brutal.
Despite and in spite of mean exactly the same thing, and both are followed by a noun phrase or an -ing form — never a full clause with a subject and a conjugated verb: Despite its budget, Aquaman doesn’t look cheap. In spite of winning six Oscars, Everything Everywhere All at Once cost under $25 million to make.
Even though (and its more formal cousin although) works the opposite way — it needs a full clause after it, with its own subject and verb: Even though Barbie is a comedy, it made more than a billion dollars worldwide.
🎬 Compare: “Despite the criticism, Joker won the Golden Lion in Venice” vs. “Even though critics were divided, Joker won the Golden Lion in Venice.”
Same meaning, same film, two different grammar patterns — noun phrase after “despite”, full clause after “even though”.
A quick test: look at what comes right after the connector. A noun, a name, or an -ing verb means despite or in spite of. A subject plus a conjugated verb means even though or although. Two separate sentences means however.
How to build each connector
However — links two sentences
Full stop or semicolon before it, comma straight after.
Sunset Boulevard is a tragedy. However, it’s also a sharp comedy about Hollywood ambition.
Sunset Boulevard is a tragedy; however, it’s also a sharp comedy about Hollywood ambition.
It can move inside the second sentence, framed by commas: Sunset Boulevard, however, is narrated by a dead man.
Despite / In spite of — + noun or -ing
Despite its low budget, Paranormal Activity earned millions at the box office.
Despite being filmed almost entirely in black and white, The Artist won Best Picture.
In spite of the language barrier, Parasite became the first non-English-language Best Picture winner.
Even though / Although — + full clause
Even though Get Out is a horror film, it’s also a sharp social comedy.
Get Out is a sharp social comedy even though it’s also a horror film.
“Although” is slightly more formal and neutral than “even though”, which adds emphasis to the contrast.
When to use which
Use however when…
- you’re contrasting two separate sentences or ideas across a paragraph, e.g. in a written review
- you want to add a surprising fact after making a statement
- you’re writing in a formal or semi-formal style, like an essay or article
Use despite / even though when…
- you want the contrast inside a single, tighter sentence rather than two separate ones
- what follows is just a noun, name, or -ing phrase — reach for despite or in spite of
- what follows is a full clause with its own subject and verb — reach for even though or although
Signal words
These words all signal a contrast is coming — but check the grammar rule for each one before you use it.
Visual guide
Teacher Teddy’s illustrated guide to this rule is being drawn — the full swipe-through infographic will appear here soon.
Common mistakes
❌ Despite of her powers, Wonder Woman feels alone.
✅ Despite her powers, Wonder Woman feels alone.
“Despite” never takes “of” — say “despite X” or “in spite of X”, never “despite of X”.
❌ Despite she has superpowers, Captain Marvel feels lost.
✅ Even though she has superpowers, Captain Marvel feels lost.
“Despite” can’t be followed by a full clause (subject + verb) — switch to “even though”, or keep “despite” and change to an -ing form: “Despite having superpowers…”.
❌ Nomadland is slow, however it’s beautiful.
✅ Nomadland is slow. However, it’s beautiful.
“However” can’t join two clauses with only a comma (a comma splice) — it needs a full stop or semicolon in front of it.
❌ Even though of the twist ending, some viewers guessed The Sixth Sense’s twist in advance.
✅ Despite the twist ending, some viewers guessed The Sixth Sense’s twist in advance.
“Even though” needs a full clause, not “of + noun” — that pattern belongs to “despite”.
British vs American note: informal spoken British English sometimes drops “however” or “though” to the very end of a sentence — The Irishman was long. I still enjoyed it, though. This is casual conversational style, not something to use in an essay or a formal review.
Exceptions & tricky cases
1. “Despite the fact that” bridges the gap. Adding “the fact that” lets “despite” be followed by a full clause after all: Despite the fact that Barbie is aimed at children, adults filled cinemas too. This means exactly the same as “even though”.
2. “However” + adjective can mean “no matter how”. This is a different job from the sentence-connector use: However good the special effects are, a Transformers film still needs a story. Here “however” sits directly before an adjective, mid-clause.
3. Even though vs even if. “Even though” introduces a real fact: Even though Nolan shot Oppenheimer on film, not digital, it still finished on budget. “Even if” introduces a hypothetical: Even if the next Avatar sequel gets an even bigger budget, it might not beat the original’s box-office record.
4. “Yet” can open a sentence like “however”. It’s more literary and slightly more emphatic: Interstellar is nearly three hours long. Yet audiences rarely check the time.
Practice: choose the right connector
Eight quick questions. Pick the option that follows the grammar rule — you get the explanation either way.
1. Vertigo flopped at the box office in 1958. ___, it’s now considered one of the greatest films ever made.
“However” opens a new sentence with a comma; “despite” would need a noun straight after it, not a whole new sentence.
2. ___ its three-hour runtime, Oppenheimer kept audiences gripped.
“Its three-hour runtime” is a noun phrase, not a full clause, so “despite” is correct.
3. ___ Barbie is a comedy, it tackles serious themes about identity.
“Barbie is a comedy” has its own subject and verb — that’s a full clause, so it needs “even though”.
4. Reviews for Venom were mixed. The film, ___, became a huge box-office hit.
“However” can sit between commas mid-sentence; “despite” must be followed directly by a noun or -ing form.
5. ___ winning Best Picture, Parasite was almost never made — Bong Joon-ho struggled for years to find funding.
“Winning Best Picture” is an -ing form, which pairs with “despite”, not “even though”.
6. Christopher Nolan often shoots on film ___ digital cameras are cheaper and easier to use.
“Digital cameras are cheaper” is a full clause with a subject and verb — that needs “even though”.
7. ___ of the language barrier, Parasite became the first non-English film to win Best Picture.
“In spite of” always keeps “of”; “despite” never does, so only “in spite” fits before “of”.
8. North by Northwest was a huge critical success. ___, it was famously overlooked for a Best Picture nomination.
This starts a brand new sentence, so it needs “however”, followed by a comma.
Movie spotlight: Supergirl
Supergirl is built on contrast from the first scene: the most powerful being on Earth, and yet a young woman who feels powerless about the world she lost. She saves strangers even though she couldn’t save her own planet, and she hides her strength despite everyone around her sensing something is different. Every emotional beat in the film puts two opposite truths side by side — which is exactly the job contrast connectors do in English. Our Supergirl episode uses these real moments to show precisely when to reach for however, despite, or even though.
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