Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Although vs Though vs Even though


Although - linking word - expresses the idea of contrast.

e.g. - Although Amit has a car, he doesn't often drive it.

The clause with although can come at the end.

e.g. - Although the cafe was crowded, we found a table. OR We found a table, although the cafe was crowded.

Though - is informal. It means the same as although.

e.g. - Though / Although I liked the sweater, I decided not to buy it.

We can use though at the end of a sentence.

e.g. - I liked the sweater. I decided not to buy it, though.

Even though - is stronger, more emphatic than although.

e.g. -
1). Ram looked quite fresh, even though he'd been playing cricket.
2). Even though you dislike Sanya, you should try to be nice to her.

Note - We can use in spite of the fact (that) in the same way as although.

e.g. -
I'm no better, although I've taken the pills.
OR
I'm no better in spite of the fact that I've taken pills.

Quick Tip only for GMAT -- Applicable most of the times but not always ...

Even though -- when the condition given is negative but the outcome/result is positive
e.g. -- Even though Ram hadn't studied, he passed the exam.

Although -- when the condition given is positive but the outcome/result is negative
e.g. -- Although Ram had studied very hard, he did not score well.

USAGE:

Mr. EGG explains the usage in simple way via cartoon on the link below: 
Although vs. Even though