Sept - Oct 2014

A. Although / in spite of / despite

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 all the necessary qualifications.

Compare the meaning of although and because:

• We went out although it was raining.

• We didn't go out because it was raining.

After in spite of or despite, we use a noun, a pronoun (this/that/what etc.) or -ing:

• In spite of the rain, we enjoyed our holiday.

• I didn't get the job in spite of having all the necessary qualifications.

• She wasn't well, but in spite of this she went to work.

• In spite of what I said yesterday, I still love you.

Despite is the same as in spite of. Note that we say 'in spite of, but despite (without 'of'):

• She wasn't well, but despite this she went to work, (not 'despite of this')

You can say 'in spite of the fact (that)...' and 'despite the fact (that)...':

I didn’t get the job in spite of the fact that I had all the necessary qualifications

I didn’t get the job despite the fact (that) I had all 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.

Compare although and in spite of / despite:

• Although the traffic was bad. I arrived on time. (not in spite of the traffic was bad)

In spite of the traffic, I arrived on time. (not in spite of the traffic was bad)

I couldn’t sleep although I was very tired (not despite I was tired)

I couldn’t sleep despite being very tired (not despite I was tired)

B. English exercise "Although / in spite of / despite"

1. a)  although in spite of because because of it rained a lot, we enjoyed our holiday.
2. a)  although in spite of because because of all our careful plans, a lot of things went wrong.
3. b)  although in spite of because because of we had planned everything carefully, a lot of things went wrong.
4. a) I went home early  although in spite of because because of I was feeling unwell.
5. b) I went to work the next day  although in spite of because because of I was still feeling unwell.
6. a) She only accepted the job  although in spite of because because of the salary, which was very high.
7. b) She accepted the job  although in spite of because because of the salary, which was rather low.
8. a) I managed to get to sleep  although in spite of because because of there was a lot of noise.
9. b) I couldn't get to sleep  although in spite of because because of the noise. 

C. Adverbs of frequency

We use some adverbs to describe how frequently we do an activity.

These are called adverbs of frequency and include:

Frequency	Adverb of Frequency	Example Sentence
100%	always	I always go to bed before 11pm.
90%	usually	I usually have cereal for breakfast.
80%	normally / generally	I normally go to the gym.
70%	often* / frequently	I often surf the internet.
50%	sometimes	I sometimes forget my wife's birthday.
30%	occasionally	I occasionally eat junk food.
10%	seldom	I seldom read the newspaper.
5%	hardly ever / rarely	I hardly ever drink alcohol.
0%	never	I never swim in the sea.

* Some people pronounce the 'T' in often but many others do not.

The Position of the Adverb in a Sentence

An adverb of frequency goes before a main verb (except with To Be).

Subject + adverb + main verb
I always remember to do my homework.
He normally gets good marks in exams.

An adverb of frequency goes after the verb to be.

Subject + to be + adverb
They are never pleased to see me.
She isn't usually bad tempered.

When we use an auxiliary verb (have, will, must, might, could, would, can, etc.), the adverb is placed between the auxiliary and the main verb. This is also true for to be.

Subject + auxiliary + adverb + main verb
She can sometimes beat me in a race.
I would hardly ever be unkind to someone.
They might never see each other again.
They could occasionally be heard laughing.

We can also use the following adverbs at the start of a sentence:

Usually, normally, often, frequently, sometimes, occasionally

• Occasionally, I like to eat Thai food.

BUT we cannot use the following at the beginning of a sentence:

Always, seldom, rarely, hardly, ever, never.

We use hardly ever and never with positive, not negative verbs:

• She hardly ever comes to my parties. (NOT: She doesn't hardle ever come to my parties)
• They never say 'thank you'. (NOT: They don't never say 'thank-you')

We use ever in questions and negative statements:

• Have you ever been to New Zealand?
• I haven't ever been to Switzerland. (The same as 'I have never been Switzerland' - more frequently used).
• They don't ever say thank you.

We can also use the following expressions when we want to be more specific about the frequency:

- every day - once a month - twice a year - four times a day - every other week - 

D. Adverbs of Frequency Quiz

1	Nancy and I [30%]  - a) never b) frequently c) occasionally  go out for coffee together.	Click for answer c)
2	Andrea lives next door so we  - a) never b) often c) rarely  see her.	Click for answer b)
3	We meet  - a) never b) every day c) yearly  at the Annual General Meeting.	Click for answer c)
4	My doctor      -     a) yearly    checks my health  - b) yearly .	Click for answer b)
5	It [0%]  - a) never b) sometimes c) does not  rains here in the summer.	Click for answer a)
6	- a) Sometimes b) Never c) Rarely  we take the dog off his leash at the beach.	Click for answer a)
7	My sister  - a) often has missed b) has missed often c) has often missed  two days of school in a row.	Click for answer c)
8	My boyfriend and I take vacations together quite  - a) never b) hardly ever c) frequently .	Click for answer c)
9	Andy [10%]  - a) very frequently b) very rarely c) very often  gets to visit with his cousins.	Click for answer b)
10	I  - a) never  went to college    -   b) never .	Click for answer a)

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E. Have you ever...? How frequent?

I will pose the question about the activities below and you need to answer using an adverb of frequency

1. Played football in a team
2. Been in Africa
3. Played chess
4. Worked at a fast food restaurant
5. Spent a night in a tent (camp out)
6. Gone fishing
7. Read books
8. Smoke
9. Eat out at restaurants
10. Cut your hair

Now is your turn, come up with 5 NEW activities and pose questions that require the use of adverbs of frequency in the response.

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F. Time to take some time off...but how much time off?

Ready for a break. 1 week, 2 weeks or how about 2 months.  Companies have been experimenting with a loose time off policy at multiple companies.  Read the following article and find out how this works: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-09-25/why-a-tiny-number-of-companies-offer-unlimited-vacation-time

1. What's your first impression after reading this article
2. Do you think that this is a good policy for companies to have?
3. Do you think that this can ony be done at certain companies or industries? All over the world?
4. If you were the head of a company, would you implement a policy like this? Why or why not?

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G. Innovation: a second life around the world

Click the link and select 3 cities with urban innovations projects that you think are the most impressive or creative. 

1. Explain what these 3 cities are doing and why you think it is a great idea.
2. Have any of them been tried in France but that are not mentioned in this article? If not, which one do you think would be a good innovation to introduce in Montpellier or another citiy in France
3. Can you think of any new urban innovations in France that are very creative and were not in this list aside from the project in Paris?