{"id":7740,"date":"2026-07-26T09:07:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T09:07:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/english-concession-clauses-although-despite-however\/"},"modified":"2026-07-26T09:07:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T09:07:52","slug":"english-concession-clauses-although-despite-however","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/ja\/english-concession-clauses-although-despite-however\/","title":{"rendered":"English Concession Clauses: Although, Despite, However | \u82f1\u6587\u8b93\u6b65\u5b50\u53e5\u5b8c\u6574\u6307\u5357"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every week in an English classroom in Taiwan, at least one student writes a sentence like this: “Although it was raining, but we still went to the park.”<\/em> The sentence feels completely natural \u2014 it mirrors the Mandarin structure \u96d6\u7136…\u4f46\u662f perfectly. The problem is, in English, that sentence is wrong. You use either “although” or<\/em> “but” \u2014 never both.<\/p>\n

This is the single most common concession error that Taiwanese English learners make, and it shows up in TOEIC writing, professional emails, and job applications. The fix is not just memorizing a rule \u2014 it’s understanding how English divides concession work across three grammatical categories that don’t map cleanly onto Chinese grammar.<\/p>\n

This guide covers all three categories with clear rules, real examples from business and academic contexts, a formal alternatives section for professional writing, and a practice quiz at the end. By the time you finish, the \u96d6\u7136…\u4f46\u662f trap will never catch you again.<\/p>\n

\n\"English<\/p>\n

Concession clauses connect contrasting ideas \u2014 and the word you choose determines the entire structure.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What Is a Concession Clause? [\u8b93\u6b65\u5b50\u53e5\u662f\u4ec0\u9ebc\uff1f]<\/h2>\n

A concession clause acknowledges one fact and then introduces a contrasting or surprising outcome. The concession says “I know X is true” \u2014 and the main clause says “but Y happened anyway, regardless of X.”<\/p>\n

Mandarin: \u96d6\u7136\u5929\u6c23\u5f88\u51b7\uff0c\u4f46\u662f\u6211\u9084\u662f\u53bb\u8dd1\u6b65\u4e86\u3002
\nEnglish: Although the weather was cold, I still went running.<\/p>\n

Notice what disappeared in the English version: the \u4f46\u662f. The word “although” carries the full concession load by itself. Adding “but” after is redundant \u2014 like putting two brakes on one side of a bicycle. English splits this work differently, and getting that split right is the entire skill.<\/p>\n

There are three main categories of concession words in English, and mixing up their grammar produces different kinds of errors. Each category has its own rules for what must follow it and where punctuation goes.<\/p>\n

Category 1 \u2014 Subordinating Conjunctions [\u9644\u5c6c\u9023\u63a5\u8a5e]<\/h2>\n

Although, even though, though, while, whereas<\/strong><\/p>\n

These words turn one clause into a dependent clause \u2014 a clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. They glue two clauses into one sentence.<\/p>\n

\n\"business<\/p>\n

In business English, concession language signals confidence \u2014 you acknowledge the other side before making your point.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Three rules that never change:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. No “but” after although\/even though.<\/strong> “Although it was late, but we stayed” is wrong. “Although” already carries the contrast. Remove “but.”<\/li>\n
  2. The dependent clause can go first or second.<\/strong> “Although it was late, we stayed” works just as well as “We stayed, although it was late.” Same meaning, slightly different emphasis.<\/li>\n
  3. Comma rule:<\/strong> If the concession clause comes first, use a comma. If it comes second, no comma is needed (though many writers add one for clarity).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Real examples from professional contexts:<\/p>\n