Concessive Clauses

"The way he put his arms around me.

Even though I'm feeling lonely"

-Norah Jones

What is a concessive clause?

A concessive clause is usually a subordinate clause that expresses contrast with the concept formulated in the main clause.

Example:

Although he is not handsome, he is not ugly. 

The clause can come before or after the main clause. 

Which conjunctions I can use?

• Although
• Despite
• Even if
• Even though
• In spite of / Despite
• Much as
• Though
• Whereas
• While

NOTE: We cannot use though at the beginning of a sentence.

Structure of a concessive clause

Concessive conjunction + Subject + Verb

Example:    

While I was studying, he was watching movies. 

Be careful with this exception:

In spite of / Despite + noun

In spite of / Despite + verb-ing

Example:

He refused to buy a new car   despite             all his money.
                                in spite of      having enough money.

Some things to take into account:

• With though and although, it is possible to omit the verb in the concessive clause
• Much and whereas are less commonly used and occur mainly in formal written English 
• It is possible to add the fact to these conjunctions and then include a verb

Check how much you learned in the following quiz.

Concessive Clauses Quiz: https://forms.gle/uS9o4cD1etxVS9QQA

Sources:

https://open.books4languages.com/english-b1-grammar/chapter/concessive-clauses/

https://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-lesson-concessions.php

Capel, A. Sharp, W.  (2013). Objective Proficiency.  Cambridge, UK. Cambridge University Press.