The function wordfunction word In linguistics, function words (also called functors) are words that have little lexical meaning or have ambiguous meaning and express grammatical relationships among other words within a sentence, or specify the attitude or mood of the speaker. ... Thus they form important elements in the structures of sentences. › wiki › Function_word

Function word - Wikipedia

despite is a preposition. The preposition despite is followed by a noun or a noun phrase, never a clause. ... In each of these examples, despite governs a noun: objections, proof, fact.

Is despite a preposition?

In spite of and despite are prepositional expressions. In spite of and despite have a similar meaning to although or even though. They express a contrast between two things.

Is despite a preposition or conjunction?

Three tricky words for students who speak English as a second language are 'although', 'despite' and 'whereas'. 'Although' and 'whereas' are conjunctions, which means they're used to join two ideas together; 'despite' is typically a preposition, so it indicates the relationship between words in a sentence.

Which preposition is used with despite?

Despite and in spite of are prepositions. Both expressions can be followed by a noun or noun-equivalent. I enjoyed the movie despite having a headache. OR I enjoyed the movie in spite of having a headache.

Why is despite not a conjunction?

Why is this incorrect? Because the words despite and in spite of are prepositions, not subordinating conjunctions. This means that after these words, you only need a noun. You cannot put a clause that has a subject and a verb.

Despite & In spite of - Basic English Grammar

43 related questions found

Is despite of correct?

Despite means the same as in spite of. Don't say `despite of'. Despite the difference in their ages, they were close friends. The school is going to be closed despite protests from local people.

Where do we use despite?

Although, even though, in spite of and despite are all used to link two contrasting ideas or show that one fact makes the other fact surprising. They can all be used at the beginning or in the middle of the sentence. Despite the rain, we enjoyed the festival. We enjoyed the festival, despite the rain.

How do you use despite as a preposition?

despite

1. Her voice was shaking despite all her efforts to control it.
2. Despite applying for hundreds of jobs, he is still out of work.
3. She was good at physics despite the fact that she found it boring.

How do you use despite And although?

The only difference is the way they are used; the structure in which they are used.

1. 'in spite of' and 'despite' are placed in front of a noun or pronoun: ...
2. 'despite' does NOT have 'of' after it: ...
3. 'although' is used in front of a subject and a verb:

What is the difference between Despite And despite of?

Remember that despite is never followed by 'of'. Don't say 'despite of something', say despite something: Note that in spite has a similar meaning but is always followed by 'of':

Is despite a subordinate clause?

Subordinating conjunctions link phrases or clauses to other clauses. ... Some common subordinating conjunctions are after, although, as, as if, as long as, because, before, despite, even if, even though, if, in order that, rather than, since, so that, that, though, unless, until, when, where, whereas, whether, and while.

Can Despite be followed by a noun?

Despite / in spite of

These are prepositions and are followed by nouns or noun phrases. They can't be followed directly by a verb phrase.

What is a preposition because of?

Because of is a two-word preposition meaning 'as a result of': Because of the rain, the tennis match was stopped. There were so many people in the shop because of the sale.

Why do we use as?

We use as to introduce two events happening at the same time. After as with this meaning, we usually use a simple (rather than continuous) form of the verb: As the show increases in popularity, more and more tickets are sold daily. When you get older, moving house gets harder.

What is despite in simple words?

1 : the feeling or attitude of despising someone or something : contempt. 2 : malice, spite. 3a : an act showing contempt or defiance.

Is despite same as although?

'in spite of', 'despite' and 'although' are all used to show contrast and are used for the same meaning. The only difference is the way they are used; the structure in which they are used. 'in spite of' and 'despite' are placed in front of a noun or pronoun: We had a great time in spite of the rain.

Does despite mean even though?

Despite means "even though," "notwithstanding," or "regardless of." It's the opposite of "because of/due to," and can be used with a noun or gerund. She had difficulty communicating in French despite all her years of study.

Does despite need a comma?

Comma before “despite”

As a preposition, despite is normally followed by a noun, a noun phrase, or a pronoun and does not require a comma unless the intention of the writer is to emanate emphasis on the prepositional phrase introduced by despite.

Is despite an adverbial?

'Nevertheless', 'nonetheless', 'despite' and 'in spite of' – advanced conjunctive adverbs – ESL Academic Proofreading.

Can a be a preposition?

It is not a preposition. A verb is a word that shows an action or state of being. As a verb,...

What does Despite the circumstances mean?

a person who is optimistic regardless of the circumstances and especially in the face of unrelieved hardship or adversity.

What does despite the fact mean?

1. used for saying that something happens even though something else might have prevented it. Three more nuclear power stations were built despite widespread opposition. despite the fact that: He still loves her, despite the fact that she left him.