113. Although / though / even though | In spite of / despite
Although it rained a lot, they enjoyed it. (It rained a lot, but they …)
or
In spite of / Despite the rain, they enjoyed it.
After although we use a subject + verb:
- Although it rained a lot, we enjoyed our holiday.
- I didn’t get the job although I had the necessary qualifications.
Compare the meaning of although and because:
- We went out although it was raining heavily.
- We didn’t go out because it was raining heavily.
After in spite of or despite, we use a noun, a pronoun (this / that / what etc.) or -ing.
Despite is the same as in spite of. We say inspite of, but despite (without of):
She wasn’t well, but despite this she continued working. (not despite of this)
You can say in spite of the fact (that) … abd desoute tge fact (that) …:
I didn’t get the job in spite of the fact (that) / despite the fact (that) I had the necessary qualifications.
Compare in spite of and because of:
- We went out in spite of the rain. (or … despite the rain.)
- We didn’t go out because of the rain.
THough is the same as although:
I didn’t get the job though I had the necessary qualifications.
In spoken English we often use though at the end of a sentence:
The house isn’t so nice. I like the garden though. (= but I like the garden)
Even though (but not ‘even’ alone) is a stronger form of although.
114. In case.
Your car should have a spare wheel in case you have a puncture.
In case you have a puncture = because it is possible you will have a puncture.
We use just in case for a smaller possibility:
I don’t think it will rain, but I’ll take an umbrella just in case. (= just in case it rains)
Do not use will after in case. Use a present tense for the future (see Unit 25):
I’ll leave my phone switched on in case Jane calls. (not in case Jane will call)
In case is not the same as if. We use in case to say why somebody does (or doesn’t do) something. You do something now in case something happens later.
Compare:
in case | if |
---|---|
We’ll buy some more food in case Tom comes. | We’ll buy some more food if Tom comes. |
(= Maybe Tom will come. We’ll buy some more food now. whether he comes or not; then we’ll alreadt have the food if he comes.) | (= Maybe Tom will come. If he comes, we’ll buy some more food; if he doesn’t come, we won’t buy any more food.) |
You can use in case + past to say why somebody did something:
I left my phone switched on in case Jane called. (= because it was possible that Jane would call)
In case of is not the same as in case. I case of … = if there is … (especially on notices etc.):
In case of fire, please leave the building as quickly as possible. (= if there is a fire)
115. Unless | As long as | Provided / providing
Unless
You can’t go in unless you are a member.
You can’t go in except if you are a member.
You can go in only if you are a member.Unless = except if.
Some more examples of unless:
‘Shall I tell Liz what happened?’ ‘Not unless she asks you.’ (= only if she asks you)
We can take a taxi to the restaurant - unless you’d prefer to walk. (= except if you’d prefer to walk)
Instead of unless it is often possible to say if … not:
Unless we leave now, we’ll be late. or If we don’t leave now, we’ll ……
As long as / provided / prodiving
as long as or so long as / provided (that) or providing (that) | All these expressions mean ‘if’ or ‘on condition that’.
Unless / as long as etc. for the future
When you are talking about the future, do not use will after unless / as long as / so long as / provided / providing. Use a present tense (see Unit 25).
116. As (As I walked along the street … / As I was hungry)
As = at the same time as
You can use as when two things happen at the same time:
We all waved goodbye to Liz as she drove away.
Or you can say that something happened as you were doing something else (in the middle of doing something else):
Kate slipped as she was getting off the bus.
For the past continuous (was getting / were going etc.), see Unit 6.
You can also use just as (= exactly at that moment)
Just as I sat down, the doorbell rang.
We also use as when two things happen together in a longer period of time:
- As the day went on, the weather got worse.
- I began to enjoy the job more as I got used to it.
Compare as and when:
We use as only if two things happen at the same time. | Use when (not as) if one thing happens after another. |
---|---|
As I drove home, I listened to music. (= at the same time) | When I got home, I had something to eat. (not As I got home) |
As = because
As I was hungry, I decided to find somethere to ear. (= because I was hungry)
You can also use since in this way:
Since we have plenty of time, let’s go and have a coffee.
Compare as (= because) and when:
I couldn’t contact David as he was on hiliday. (= because he was on holiday) | David’s passort was stolen when he was on holiday. (= during the time he was away) |
117. Like and as
Like = ‘similar to’, ‘the same as’. You cannot use as in this way.
What a beautiful house! It’s like a palace. (not as a palace)
In these sentences, like is a preposition. So it is followed by a noun (like a palace), a pronoun(like me / like this) or -ing(like waling).
You can also say ‘… like (somebody / something) doing something’:
‘What’s that noise?’ ‘It sounds like a baby crying.’
Sometimes like = for example:
I enjoy water sports, like surfing, scuba diving and waster-skiing.
You can also use such as (= for example):
I enjoy water sport, such as surfing, scuba diving and water-skiing.
As = in the same way as, or in the same condition as. We use as before subject + verb:
- I didn’t move anything. I left everything as it was.
- You should have done it as I showed you.
We also use like in this way:
I left everything like it was.
Compare as and likeL
- You should have done it as I showed you. or … like I showed you.
- You should have done it like this. (not as this)
Sometimes as (+ subject + verb) has other meanings. For example, after do:
- You can do as you like. (= do what you like)
- They did as they promised. (= They did what they promised.)
We also say as you know / as I said / as she expected / as I thought etc.:
As you know, it’s Emma’s birthday next week. (= you know this already)
Like is not usual in these expressions, except with say (like I said):
As I said yesterday. I’m sure we can solve the problem. or Like I said yesterday …
As can also be a preposition, but the meaning is different from like.
Compare:
As a taxi driver, I spend most of my working life in a car. | Everyone wants me to drive them to places. I’m like a taxi driver. |
---|---|
(I am a taxi driver, that is my job) | (I’m nott a taxi driver, but I’m like one) |
As(preposition) = in the position of, in the form of etc.:
- Many years ago I worked as a photohrapher. (not like a photographer)
- London is find as a place to visit, but I wouldn’t like to live there.
118. Like / as if as though
You can use like to say how somebody or something looks/sounds/feels:
That house looks like it’s going to fall down.
You can also use as if or as though in all these examples:
That house looks as if it’s going to fall down.
Compare:
- You look tired. (look + adjective)
- You look like you haven’t slept. (look like + subject + verb)
As if and as though are more formal than like.
You can say It looks like … / It sounds like …:
Sarah is very late, isn’t she? It looks like she isn’t coming.
You can also use as if or as though:
It looks as if she isn’t coming. or It looks as though she isn’t coming.
You can use like / as if / as though with other verbs to say how somebody does something:
He ran like was running for his life.
After as if (or as though), we sometimes use the past when we are talking about the present.
For example:
I don’t like Tim. He talks as if he knew everything.
The meaning is not past in this sentence. We use the past (as if he knew) because the idea is not real: Tim does now everythinh. We use the past in the same way in other sentences with if and wish (see Unit 39).
Like is not normally used in this way.
Some more examples:
She’s always asking me to do things for her - as if I didn’t have enough to do already. (I do have enough to do)
When you use the past in this way, you can use were instead of was:
- Why do you talk about him as if he were (or was) an old man?
- They treat me as if I were (or was) wheir own som. (I’m not their son)
119. For, during and while
For and during
We use for + a period of time to say how long something goes on: (for two hours / for a week / for ages)
We watched TV for two hours last night.
We use during + noun to say when something happens (not how long): (during the movie / during our holiday / during the night)
I fell asleep during the movie.
With ‘time words’ (for example: the morning / the afternoon / the summer), you can usually say in or during:
It must have rained in the night. or … during the night.
You cannot use during to say how long something goes on.
It rained for three days without stopping. (not during three days)
Compare during and for:
I fell asleep during the movie. I was asleep for half an hour.
During and while
We use during + noun | We use while + subject + verb |
---|---|
I fell asleep during the movie. | I fell asleep while I was watching TV. |
When you are ralking about the future, use the present (not will) after while:
I’m going to Singapore next week. I hope to see some friends of mine while I’m there. (not while I will be there)
See also Unit 25.
120. By and until | By the time
By … = not later than:
I sent the documents to them today, so they should receive them by Monday. (= on or before Monday, not later than Monday)
We use until (or till) to say how long a situation continues
Let’s wait until it stops raining.
Compare until and by:
Something continues until a time in the future | Something happens by a time in the future |
---|---|
Joe will be away until Monday. (so he’ll be back on Monday) | Joe will be back by Monday. (= he’ll be back not later than Monday) |
You can say ‘by the time something happens’.
It’s too late to go to the bank now. By the time we get there, it will be closed. (= the bank will close between now and the time we get there)
You can say ‘by the time something happened’ (for the past):
Karen’s car broke down on the way to the party last night. By the time she arrived, most of the other guests bad left. (= it took her a long tome to get to the party and most of the guests left during this time)
Also by then or by that time:
Karen finally got to the party at midnight, but by then, most of the other guests had left. or … but that time, most of the other guests had left.