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Lesson planB250 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Against the Odds: despite and in spite of
Students learn to use despite and in spite of to describe sporting comebacks, then write about someone who succeeded against the odds.
Despite in spite of · Sport · Health
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Plan at a glance
Aims
- Use despite / in spite of accurately
- Learn and use 13 words and phrases in 2 sets: Sport and competition, Injury and success
- Read for detail: the long way back
- Writing task: against the odds
Stages · 50 min
- 5 minLead-in: Pairs talk about sport and share ideas with the class.
- 5 minVocabulary: Ex. 1
- 5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes together and check understanding.
- 5 minControlled practice: Ex. 2
- 10 minAccuracy practice: Ex. 3–4
- 10 minReading: Ex. 5
- 10 minWriting: Ex. 6
Printables
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Download all (ZIP, 2 PDFs)Grammar notes
despite / in spite of + noun or -ing
- Despite the rain, the match went ahead.
- In spite of feeling tired, she kept running.
- despite and in spite of mean the same. There is no of after despite: despite the rain (not despite of the rain).
+ the fact that + a full clause
- Despite the fact that he was injured, he played. = Although he was injured, he played.
- Don't put a subject and verb straight after despite: Despite he was injured ✗
Compare: although, even though, however
- although and even though are followed by a full clause: Although it was raining, they played. (even though is stronger)
- however links two sentences: The team played well. However, they lost.
Study tips
- Practise turning sentences round: Although she was tired, she won → Despite being tired, she won → In spite of her tiredness, she won.
- Learn the two patterns as chunks: despite + -ing and despite the fact that + clause.
Glossary
- Sport and competition7 items
- Injury and success6 items
Complete the exercises, then check your answers.
1
Sport words
Use the word in capitals to form a word that fits the gap.
- a
Her to win was obvious from the first minute of the match.
DETERMINE - b
Winning the national was the greatest moment of his career.
CHAMPION - c
After the operation, his took almost a year.
RECOVER - d
A knee kept her out of the team for the whole season.
INJURE - e
Reaching the final was a huge for such a small club.
ACHIEVE - f
She played with great after her coach told her she was ready.
CONFIDENT - g
Her in the final was a player she had never beaten.
OPPOSE - h
Tennis is a very sport, and only the toughest players reach the top.
COMPETE
2
Choose the right linker
Choose the correct word or phrase.
- a
___ the heavy rain, the final went ahead as planned.
- b
___ she had a sore ankle, she finished the race.
- c
He won the match in spite ___ a slow start.
- d
Despite ___ for months, the team lost in the first round.
- e
She kept playing, ___ the pain in her shoulder.
- f
___ the fact that he was the youngest player, he scored twice.
- g
The team played well. ___, they lost 2–1.
- h
Even ___ she was injured, she refused to leave the court.
3
Say it another way
Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first. Use the word given and between two and five words.
- a
Although she was injured, she finished the race.
DESPITE
injured, she finished the race.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- b
Although it rained heavily, the match went ahead.
SPITE
In , the match went ahead.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- c
He was nervous, but he played brilliantly.
DESPITE
nervous, he played brilliantly.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- d
In spite of losing the first set, she won the match.
ALTHOUGH
the first set, she won the match.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- e
Despite his lack of experience, he was chosen as captain.
EVEN
experienced, he was chosen as captain.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- f
She had a bad injury, but she still won the championship.
FACT
Despite a bad injury, she still won the championship.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
4
Find and correct the mistake
Each sentence has one mistake. Write the correction: the corrected word(s) or the whole sentence.
- a
Despite of the cold weather, the crowd stayed until the end.
- b
In spite the injury, he played the whole match.
- c
Despite she trained every day, she didn't make the team.
- d
Despite to lose the first game, they won the tournament.
- e
It took him six months to recover his knee injury.
- f
She won her opponent easily in the semi-final.
- g
Although the bad weather, the race started on time.
5
Read: the long way back
Read the text and choose the correct answer.
Two years ago, Leah Okafor could hardly walk. The 26-year-old runner, who had just won her first national championship, broke her leg in a cycling accident three weeks before the European finals. Doctors told her it would take a year to recover, and some of them doubted she would ever race at the top level again. Despite the pain, Leah started working with a physiotherapist the week after her operation. 'At first, my only goal was to climb the stairs at home,' she remembers. In spite of problems along the way – her leg became infected twice – she was jogging again within eight months. Her biggest problem, she says, was not physical. 'My confidence had gone. I kept thinking about the accident.' A sports psychologist helped her overcome that fear, and slowly she began to enjoy training again. Last month, Leah returned to the national championship. Although she didn't win, she finished third, ahead of several opponents who had beaten her before the accident. 'People call it a comeback,' she says. 'For me, it's just the start of the next chapter.'
- a
When did Leah have her accident?
- b
What did the doctors tell Leah?
- c
According to Leah, the hardest part of her recovery was ___
- d
A sports psychologist helped Leah to ___
- e
At last month's championship, Leah ___
- f
How does Leah see her return to racing?
6
Write: against the odds
Write a short story.
Write about a person – a sports star, someone you know, or yourself – who achieved something despite a difficulty (120–150 words). What was the problem? How did they deal with it? Use despite, in spite of, although and even though at least once each. Word box: injury · recover · determination · overcome · opponent · championship · achievement · confidence Example: Despite a serious knee injury, my cousin Marco didn't give up football. In spite of the pain, he trained every day, and his determination helped him recover in six months.
Suggested minimum: 120 words
0 words · aim for at least 120
Spotted a mistake in this lesson?· tell us the exercise and item
Revise with a game
This lesson's own words and questions. Play on your own, or in teams on the classroom screen.
- Step UpAnswer the lesson's questions to climb to the top.
- Pair UpMatch the lesson's words to their meanings against the clock.
- SnapA word and a meaning: do they go together? Answer fast.
- Fix ItFind the mistake in each sentence, then correct it.
- Quiz BoardTeams choose questions worth 100 to 500 points.
- Retro arcadeWord Invaders, Word Snake, Word Maze and Word Crossing: classic arcade games with the lesson's words.
Glossary
The 13 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in 2 sets.
Sport and competition
- opponent
- the person or team you play against in a game or competition
- championship
- a competition to find the best player or team
- tournament
- a competition with a series of games between many players or teams
- match
- a game between two players or teams
- race
- a competition to see who is the fastest
- training
- regular practice to prepare for a sport or competition
- coach
- a person who trains a player or a team
Injury and success
- injury
- physical damage to the body, for example in an accident or in sport
- recover
- to become healthy again after an illness or injury
- determination
- the quality of continuing to try even when something is difficult
- overcome
- to succeed in dealing with a problem or difficulty
- achievement
- something good that you have done successfully, usually with effort
- confidence
- the feeling that you can do something well
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