1
a Despite being snowing heavily, they went on climbing/Despite the heavy snow, they went on climbing/Despite the fact (that) it was snowing heavily, they went on climbing b Although he is very poor, he is happy c He was caught driving dangerously. All the same, he was not fined d In spite of the sea being very rough, they went sailing/In spite of the rough sea, they went sailing/In spite of the fact (that) the sea was very rough, they went sailing e Even though (I know) you don't love me, I'll marry you
2
a Ill though she was, she did not stay in bed b Even though you give him a lot of money, he will not accept c Fast as it is, I will not buy it d Much as I admire him, I recognise that he is a bit selfish e Everyone is worried about the scandal; but, for all its implications, I think it will do us some good
3
a The layman will not understand these instructions. Moreover, some experts might find some difficulties interpreting them b These fairy cakes are homemade. Besides, they have the best quality ingredients c On the one hand, we must consider the fact that this year's income is lower that last year's; on the other (hand), that we are working harder than last year d In addition to being well-trained for the post, she is beautiful e I submit it to you for your approval. Furthermore, you may/can carry out any changes that you consider necessary
4
a We have spent all our money, so we can't buy the train tickets b They have violated our civil rights. Therefore, we should like to lodge a complaint/We should therefore like to lodge a complaint c He has broken his promise twice, with the result that they will no longer trust him d They were driving too fast; in consequence, they were fined/...fast, and they were fined in consequence e I failed to write the essay on Shakespeare. For this reason, he did not pass me
5
a I ate it, as it made my mouth water/As it made my mouth water, I ate it b I left because they tried to ridicule me c He can't be moved because of his illness d The reason (why/that) I didn't sign the document was that it was badly written e I didn't get sunburnt thanks to your protective cream
6
a He can't be a basketball player because he's too short b Much as I approve of parties, I cannot let you give one tonight c You have not performed your duties. Consequently, you will be expelled from the club d "Although I ran as fast as I could, I was always in the same place," she dreamt e He is crying his heart out owing to his father's death f These are the rules. Nevertheless, there are exceptions/There are exceptions, nevertheless g I don't love you; what's more, I don't wnat to see you again/I don't love you and, what's more, I don't want to see you again/...you, and what's more I... h Majorca is a paradise for tourists; hence its popularity i His death was due to a heart attack j Our business is going from bad to worse; as a rusult, we will have to close down/Our business is going from bad to worse, and we will have to close down as a result k Many people are dying in the third world every day on account of lack of food l Time is pressing on, so we'll have to work hard at it m Even if you hate them, you'll have to live with them n The unemployment rate has increased. Thus we will/shall have to take sterner measures o We will not buy you the bike we promised, since you have failed all your exams p They lost the battle through lack of discipline q Happy though he was, he felt lonely at times r Clever as he was with his hand, he couldn't fix it s We saw many paratroopers. Besides, they were armed to the teeth t I bought a padlock, but it was not big enough for the gate u He consented to all her wishes, for he could not live without her v We have considered your proposal thouroughly. However, we (are afraid to tell you that) we cannot assent to it w The reason (why/ that) we didn't wait for them was that we were in a hurry x Nobody dare to dissent from the decision of the prime minister. All the same, she did y I didn't drown thanks to her z In spite of her telling/having told him that she would always be true to him, she wasn't/In spite of the fact (that) she had told him that she would always be true to him, she wasn't
7
a To me, we could do without them b If you ask me, she just wanted to impress you c To the best of my knowledge, they have divorced d In my opinion, men and women should be treated equally e As I see it, you have dazzled them with your beauty and good manners
8
a They haven't come tonight, but we mustn't forget they are very busy after all b All in all, a remedy to prevent tooth decay will be available soon c After all, she's paid the bill/She's paid the bill(,) after all d In short, we cannot disregard all they have done for us e To sum up, the government should do away with this law
9
a In the first place, we had an increase in sales last year b In the second place, the raw material was cheaper c In the third place, the labour force was very efficient d In the next place, the new machinery was very productive e To end with, we had to pay fewer taxes
10
a We need some new furniture in the house. For instance, a table for the dining room and two bedside tables b There are animals which are in danger of extinction, such as the whale c You will have to employ, (let us/let's) say, twenty men to do the job d A case in point is the increase in violence on our streets/The increase in violence on our streets is a case in point/As a case in point, we can mention the increase in vilence on our streets/We can mention the increase in violence on our streets, as a case in point e The bets you can make are as follows: £5, £10, £15, £20, and so on and so forth
11
a It goes without saying that those who do not pass the oral examination will have to resit everything next year b Apart from the bad weather, the picnic was great/The picnic was great, apart from the bad weather/Bad weather apart, the picnic was great c Nobody/No-one but Martha congratulated me on (my) having been promoted/on (my) being promoted/on my promotion d Many people died in the accident, to say nothing of the disastrous environmental impact e I don't have time to clean the house, let alone do the shopping
12
a You will have to carry, (let's) say, a hundred pounds b Except for the people next door, everybody in the neighbourhood is lovely/ Everybody in the neighbourhood is lovely, except for the people next door c You should attend to your guests. After all, you are the hostess/You're the hostess(,) after all d Summning up, something must be done to put an end to violence on the streets and drug trafficking e In spite of the fact that his fears about the side-effects of this drug were unfounded, he did not take it/In spite of his fears about the side-effects of this drug being unfounded, he did not take it/In spite his unfounded fears about the side-effects of this drug, he did not take it f Even though his suspicions were founded, he did nothing about it g Apart from being a very good guitarist, he sings beautifully h For a start, you need a dozen eggs, two onions and a kilogramme of potatoes. In the second place, you beat the eggs, chop the onions into small pieces and dice the potatoes. In the next place, put a frying pan on to heat, add a lot of olive oil and wait until the oil is hot. After that, you fry the onions and the potatoes. Then, mix the onions, the potatoes and the beaten eggs in a bowl. Next, fry the mixture in the pan with a little olive oil without stirring it until the underside is golden brown. Finally, do the same with the other side. And that's a Mediterranean omelette with onion i They lost all their money in a shady business, not to mention the loan they took out of the bank j Much as I enjoy their company, my parents do not allow me to talk to them k The way I see it, you should put your cards on the table l She likes many romantic poets, like Coleridge, Wordsworth, Byron and Keats m Nobody/No-one except you can make me happy n They abandoned him to his fate, for they had little confidence in him o They couldn't reach the peak as a result of the heavy snow p In addition to a very good piece of advice, she lent me some money/In addition to lending me some money, she gave me a very good piece of advice q The country's economy is getting better and better. A case in point is the stabilisation (or "stabilization") of inflation/the stabilisation of inflation is a case in point/As a case in point, we can mention the stabilisation of inflation/We can mention the stabilisation of inflation, as a case in point r Needless to say, all aplicants must identify themselves before the interview s Personally, I found his remarks unnecessary t We'll have to harry, since time is short u They haven't spoken to each other for many years because of a fierce rivalry between them/because of there being a fierce rivalry between them v Your days are numbered, which is why we'll grant you a favour w Although onions repeat on me, I eat them every day/I eat onions every day, although they repeat on me x In conclusion, we made a substantial profit last year y To my way of thinking, you shouldn't argue with them about politics z I can't carry my belongings, let alone (carry) yours
13
a I'm very busy at the moment. I mean, I can't have dinner with you this evening b (The first sentence is left unchanged) In other words, you will not lend me your car tomorrow c Money is what makes the world go round, that is to say(,) the more money you have, the more powerful you become d Hatred creates even more hatred. To Put it another way, the more you hate somebody, the more they will hate you e He is the most important person in this company, that is(,) he is the boss
14
a On the whole, military service is a waste of time and money b I don't mind what time you arrive home. Above all (else), I want you to arrive safe and sound c He had presented several television shows; but, first and foremost, he is a journalist d Broadly speaking, this play may be divided into four main parts e By and large, Eivissa is one of the best holiday spots in the world
15
a She told me that the grammar exercises were as easy as falling off a log; but, as a matter of fact, I found them very difficult b The weather forecaster said that today would be quite hot; but, in (actual) fact, it is quite chilly c I don't want to see them any more. In actual fact, I hate them d They said that they had done all the work; but, in point of fact, they had done nothing e She told me that she was as poor as a church mouse, but actually she was loaded
16
a Regarding your application for the job as a sales representative, we are glad to inform you that it will be offered to you b In regard to your brother, he is the most qualified person for the post c As for air pollution, the government should take stronger measures to combat it d Apropos (of) what he stated yesterday, we consider it the most appropriate alternative e As far as the decline in the country's exports is concerned, the government should act at once
17
a She got very good school results. In fact, she was the best student in her class b Although they encountered a lot of difficulties, they managed to reach the top of the mountain at the expected time c In the first place, I want to watch my favourite TV serial; in the second, I'm tired out d He let her smoke at his home. He strongly disapproves of people's smoking, though/Though he strongly disapprove of people's smoking, he let her smoke at his home e For all I know, this university was founded in 1864 f I'm a hard working student, that is to say(,) I don't mind working hard g Apart from the long weekend I had last month, I haven't had a holiday for more than two years h This institution was funded by the local authority; in other words, by the money from our taxes i Even though she tried to disprove my argument, she couldn't j In a nutshell, we must do something to stop poachers k In general, women are more astute than men l With regard to the fax of 10th September, we are afraid to inform... m Much though he likes her paintings, he cannot afford them n The country's economy is becoming better and better. A case in point is the decrease in inflation/The decrease in inflation is a case in point/As a case in point, we can mention the decrease in inflation/We can mention the decrease in inflation, as a case in point o He win the boxing match because his manager had rigged it p They said that they didn't need me any longer. To put it another way, they fired me q We want you to write to us regularly; but, above all else, don't forget to telephone us r As regards this, I would like to say a few words s She loves science fiction novels, such as those of Jules Verne. From her viewpoint, Journey to the Centre of the Earth and... t Generally speaking, our investments have doubled in value in the last few months u The reason (why/that) she was acquitted was that her lawyer had fixed the jury v He had marked the cards, so he beat us w They were of great help; but, first and foremost, we won two friends x As for my parents, they separated long ago y He didn't say hello to me. As a matter of fact, I think he didn't even see me z On the one hand, it rained heavily that weekend; on the other, I felt unwell most of the time
____________________
Despite,
in spite of,
although,
even though and
though may also be placed after the main clause:
They went on climbing, despite being snowing heavily. If you prefer this alternative, you only have to change the order.