If You Know These 3 Uses of THOUGH, Your English Is Fantastic!

Some words are tricky to learn because they follow different patterns. Hi. I'm Jennifer, and in this lesson, we'll go over three uses of THOUGH. You'll learn how to use it correctly and naturally in spoken and written American English. We use THOUGH as a contrast word. It helps us create a contrast between two ideas. Grammatically, it can be a conjunction or an adverb. Let's look at THOUGH as a conjunction. THOUGH can connect an adverb clause with an independent clause to create a complex sentence. Though I'm not a big soccer fan, I've enjoyed watching the World Cup. The first part is the adverb clause, the dependent clause. The second part is the independent clause, the main clause. THOUGH is functioning as a conjunction, a subordinating conjunction. You may know one or two more words that function like THOUGH. They sound similar. Do you know them? These are also subordinating conjunctions that help us create adverb clauses. Take a look. Even though I'm not a big soccer fan, I've enjoyed watching the World Cup. Note how in writing, all three require a comma to separate the adverb clause from the main clause. THOUGH is more conversational than the other two. Some consider EVEN THOUGH more emphatic. It emphasizes the contrast. Here's what's important. You have to know two ways to build these kinds of sentences. We can flip the parts around. We can put the main clause first. THOUGH can add on a contrasting idea. In fact, putting the adverb clause with THOUGH second is probably more common, especially when we don't really need to emphasize the contrast. I've been watching a lot more soccer this summer, though I still don't understand all the rules. Again, THOUGH introduces the adverb clause, the contrasting idea. Not all writers use a comma to separate the clauses when the adverb clause comes second, but my preference is to use it when there's a contrast, and especially when that contrasting idea is a long clause. Guess which other word we could use in this sentence in the same position, but also creates a contrast, right? I've been watching a lot more soccer this summer, but I still don't understand all the rules. The difference in meaning is that THOUGH creates a surprising contrast. The difference in grammar is that THOUGH is a subordinating conjunction in a complex sentence, BUT is a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence, meaning both clauses are independent clauses. They could stand alone by themselves and make sense. Remember, we can switch the positions of an adverb clause and the main clause. Though I still don't understand all the rules, I've been watching a lot more soccer this summer. We cannot switch the clauses around in a compound sentence the same way. Okay, let's practice. Can you please complete these two sentences? Share your examples in the comments. Let me challenge you to understand an advanced variation. So far, we've seen THOUGH used in a full clause. I'd like to share examples where THOUGH is used with phrases. Cheerleading, though active and demanding, is not considered a sport by all. Here, the phrase with THOUGH serves as a contrast to the main idea, and it interrupts the flow of the sentence, so I'd set it off with commas. We could understand the implied meaning, and then it would look very much like a clause. Cheerleading, though it is active and demanding, is not considered a sport by all. The subject and verb are understood, so they're not written. Let's look at another example. Here, we're contrasting beneficial, which is positive, with expensive, which is negative. It's a long, contrasting idea, but it's not written as a full clause. Why? We can understand the implied words, right? Sports in general are highly beneficial, though they are somewhat expensive for many American families. Try experimenting with this kind of structure. Complete this statement. Now let's talk about THOUGH as an adverb. We often use THOUGH at the end of a sentence, again, often to create some kind of contrast. What does this mean? In this position, THOUGH is most similar to HOWEVER. Between the two words, THOUGH is more conversational. Either way, in writing, some people use a comma for separation, but not all writers agree that a comma is necessary. In terms of meaning, we could rewrite the sentence with BUT, a coordinating conjunction. Let me note an interesting pattern that may come up in informal conversation. Some speakers might use BUT and THOUGH in the same clause. I never played sports, but I was a cheerleader, though. Honestly, I don't think I use this pattern much at all. I don't really want to recommend it simply because I think it's redundant to have two words trying to do the same job. They're both trying to create a contrast. Just don't be surprised if you hear some Americans speak this way. They may do this for emphasis, but I don't know, though. Here's another interesting variation. Not everything has to be said by one speaker. In conversation, after the first speaker makes a statement, a second speaker can add on a contrasting idea, using THOUGH. I never played sports. You were a cheerleader, though, weren't you? Yeah, I was. Can you create a surprising contrast? Finish this statement. Finally, we don't always say exactly what we mean, do we? We keep some thoughts to ourselves and imply what we're thinking. We know listeners will understand us without saying something aloud. For example, playing sports is important for children. The expense for parents, though? Hopefully, you understand that a negative point is coming. I stated something positive and then decided not to voice the negative idea completely. But you can guess my meaning. Playing sports is important for children. The expense for parents, though, can be a burden. Again, in this kind of example, THOUGH is similar in meaning to the word HOWEVER. Can you imply a contrast? Complete this statement with your own thoughts. Share that last example in the comments, okay? You can close the window now, though you will benefit if you do the extra practice. That's all for now. If you'd like more interaction and feedback, then join the English with Jennifer community on Patreon, where we practice all skills for confident, effective communication. The link is in the video description. Thanks for watching and happy studies!