despite

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confuse mind: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 462; Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2011 1:08 pmFollowed by: 4 members; Thanked: 10 times

by confuse mind » Wed Jun 01, 2011 11:19 am

Can someone please explain me the GMAT acceptable rules for the usage of 'despite' in SC questions.

I have seen some examples having 'despite being' which raises a new question, whether I can use 'being' with despite or not.

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Wed Jun 01, 2011 11:19 am

galaxian: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 79; Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2011 4:51 amFollowed by: 5 members; Location: Hyderabad, India; Thanked: 8 times

by galaxian » Wed Jun 01, 2011 1:28 pm

This could help :

Whilst despite might be thought more formal than in spite of - it is, after all, one word rather than three - there is really very little difference in usage between the two:
'Despite the appalling weather, they succeeded in walking to the top of Ben Nevis.'
'They decided to get married in spite of the huge differences in their ages.'

Although, despite and in spite of are normally used as prepositions, they can also be used in adverbial constructions with -ing, thus:
'I managed to pass my exams, despite going out four times a week during the revision period.'
'In spite of feeling terribly sick, I went to work every day that week.'
'Despite being severely handicapped, he managed to complete the race.'

Source : https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learn ... tv41.shtml

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chendawg: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 163; Joined: Tue Nov 24, 2009 7:56 amFollowed by: 4 members; Location: Philadelphia; Thanked: 13 times; GMAT Score:660

by chendawg » Thu Jun 02, 2011 5:36 am

confuse mind wrote:Can someone please explain me the GMAT acceptable rules for the usage of 'despite' in SC questions.

I have seen some examples having 'despite being' which raises a new question, whether I can use 'being' with despite or not.

Despite can go with a lot of words:

Despite having a flat tire......

Despite using only a toothbrush....

Despite being an only child......

You should focus on whether despite is used correctly in the context of MEANING, instead of specifically the word that comes after despite.

I'm not bipolar...I'm bi-winning!!

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subhashghosh: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 43; Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 7:32 am; Thanked: 2 times

by subhashghosh » Thu Jun 02, 2011 5:40 am

Generally, despite is used for portraying adverse conditions.

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VivianKerr: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1035; Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:13 amFollowed by: 365 members; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 474 times

by VivianKerr » Thu Jun 02, 2011 12:44 pm

Chendawg has great advice here. "Despite being" can in fact be acceptable, and it's important to remember that context is key.

Here's an example of a "Despite being..." GMAT question: https://gmatclub.com/forum/despite-being ... 88352.html

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GMATMadeEasy: Legendary Member; Posts: 768; Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2009 3:46 amFollowed by: 7 members; Thanked: 21 times

by GMATMadeEasy » Fri Jun 03, 2011 6:18 am

VivianKerr wrote:Chendawg has great advice here. "Despite being" can in fact be acceptable, and it's important to remember that context is key.

Here's an example of a "Despite being..." GMAT question: https://gmatclub.com/forum/despite-being ... 88352.html

How the question you have quoted can be correct :

intial modifier

despite being a canivore, the diet of bear implies that the diet is carnivore. I Can not believe it is GMAT question. Could you please confirm.

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VivianKerr: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1035; Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:13 amFollowed by: 365 members; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 474 times

by VivianKerr » Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:22 pm

You're correct. That sample question does have a modification error since obviously a diet cannot be a carnivore, but I cited it because the use of "Despite being" is correct.

A correct full version would be something like: "Despite being a carnivore, a bear eats..."

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