How to use although, though and even though
Alex Case“Although”, “though” and “even though” are very common and useful connectors of concession that look similar to each other but actually have quite different uses and so can be difficult to use correctly. This article explains all three, compares them to each other, and looks at how they are different from similar linkers.
How to use “although”
“Although” is used to link parts of a sentence that contrast, as in “Although it was a sunny day, we decided to stay indoors”. This means the same as the sentence “It was a sunny day but we decided to stay indoors” but has the linking word attached to a different part of the sentence. “Although” often comes at the beginning of the sentence, but such sentences can also be rearranged to have “although” in the middle, as in “We decided to stay indoors although it was a sunny day”.
Not all sentences with “but” can be rewritten with “although”, as some kind of logical relationship between the two halves of the sentence is needed with “although”. For example, we can say “I have three bananas but he has three apples”. In contrast, we can’t say “Although I have three bananas, he has three apples”, because there is no connection between my apples and his bananas. Instead, sentences with “although” need something that goes against expectations, as in “Although he is the richest man in town, he still takes the bus”. This is what makes “although” a connector of concession (rather than of contrast).
How to use “though”
All sentences with “although” can be written with “though” in the same place, so all the sentences above could have “though” instead. “Though” can also be used to link two sentences and/ or be put at the end of the sentence, neither of which is possible with “although”. For example, the sentence “I have never touched an elephant. I think I can imagine what it would feel like, though” cannot take “although” in the same place, but could be rewritten as the single sentence “Although I have never touched an elephant, I think I can imagine what it would feel like”.
How to use “even though”
“Even though” is a stronger form of “although”, used when the breaking of logical expectations is more surprising, as in “Even though the fire was surrounding his house, he refused to leave”. “Even though” can always be replaced by “Although”, but because “even though” is stronger, it often makes the sentence more interesting to hear or read. “Even though” doesn’t work in more boring sentences like “Although I had two apples, I only ate one”.
This linker is made from “even + though”, but actually works the same as “although”, and cannot be used to link two sentences or at the end of a sentence like “though” can.
“Although” vs “but”
“Although” can be used in the middle of a sentence like “but”. However, the two elements of the sentence are usually the other way around, as in “I had a cold but I went to school anyway” meaning “I went to school although I had a cold” (not “I had a cold although I went to school” X).
As mentioned above, “but” can also be used in almost any contrasting situation, while “although” implies a logical relationship between the two halves of the sentence, and so cannot be used to rephrase sentences like “It is sunny today but it was rainy yesterday”.
“Although” vs “while”
“While” goes in the same position and has a similar concessive meaning to “although” in sentences like “While my brothers all became bankers, I set my heart on being a rock star”. However, sentences with “while” can just be contrasts without the need for logical connections. For example, “While this restaurant has more selection, this one is cheaper” cannot take “although”, because there is no connection between the two restaurants.
“In spite of” and “despite” vs “although”
“In spite of” and “despite” have the same concessive meaning and same position in the sentence as “although”, but are followed by noun, -ing forms and/ or object pronouns. For example, “Despite (him) being the world champion, he only came in tenth” can easily be rewritten as “Although he was the world champion, he only came in tenth”.