8.3 But, yet, however, despite, in spite of

But is a connector that expresses contrast, e.g.:

Jean had a headache but she managed to finish the assignment. (Jean tenía dolor de cabeza, pero pudo acabar la tarea.)

Yet is also a connector that expresses contrast; it is slightly more emphatic than but, e.g.:

Jean had a headache, yet she managed to finish the assignment. (Jean tenía dolor de cabeza, pero pudo acabar la tarea.)

However connects one sentence with another; it also expresses contrast, and is more emphatic than but or yet e.g.:

Jean had a headache. However, she managed to finish the assignment. (Jean tenía dolor de cabeza. Sin embargo, pudo acabar la tarea.)

Notice that however is followed by a comma; it can also come in the middle of a sentence and then has a comma before and after it, e.g.: Jean had a headache. She managed, however, to finish the assignment.

In spite of and despite are prepositions that express contrast. They must be followed by a noun phrase, e.g.:

In spite of/Despite her headache, Jean managed to finish the assignment. (A pesar de su dolor de cabeza, Jean pudo acabar la tarea.)

If we want to use in spite of or despite with a statement, we must include the fact that, e.g.:

In spite of/Despite the fact that all the entrances were carefully guarded, the protesters managed to disrupt the meeting. (A pesar del hecho de que todas las entradas estaban bien custodiadas, los que protestaban pudieron interrumpir la reunión.)

Here are examples of typical mistakes: Although the heavy rain, ... In spite of it was raining, ...

	See also although, though, even though, even if.