in spite of / despite / although In spite of, despite and although are all used to show a contrast but there are differences in the structures used with them. In spite of / despite After in spite of and despite we use a noun or a pronoun.  We enjoyed our camping holiday in spite of the rain.  Despite the pain in his leg he completed the marathon.  Despite having all the necessary qualifications, they didn’t offer me the job. Remember that the gerund (‘-ing’ form) is the ‘