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contrary to
If you say something is true contrary
to a belief or popular
statement, you mean that it is true although the opposite
has been thought or has been said.
e.g.
Contrary to popular belief,
the desert can produce crops.
The inflation rate has fallen, contrary
to official predictions.
depending on
You use depending on to indicate
a variable factor that will affect a situation. Used with verbs:
e.g.
Different methods are used depending on what results are required.
The bank will lend up to 90% of
a property's value, depending on
its age.
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despite
1) You use despite to introduce
something which makes the situation or event you are mentioning
seem surprising. Used with verbs, often followed by an '-ing'
clause:
e.g.
He was always very pleasant despite having
many problems of his own.
The government decisions were implemented
despite much public criticism.
2) If you do something despite
yourself, you do it although you
did not really mean to or expect to.
e.g.
Henry laughed and despite herself June had to laugh too.
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down
1) If someone or something goes down
something such as a slope or a pipe, they go towards the ground
or to a lower level. Used with verbs:
e.g.
She hurried away, down
the steps to the road below.
I emptied the last of the bad milk
down the sink.
Also used as an adverb:
e.g.
George waved his shirt up and down
like a flag.
2) If you go down
a road or passageway, you go along it towards one end of it. Used
with verbs:
e.g.
She drove down
the street, gathering speed.
3) If you go down
a river, you go along it in the same direction as the current.
e.g.
When you canoe down
the river, be careful of the rapids.
4) If you go down
a place, you go to it and into it.
Very informal, slang use.
e.g.
I often go down
the pub for my lunch, they have very
good pies.
I'll have to go down
the bank tomorrow and get some money
out.
5) Something that is situated down
something such as a road is situated
further along it.
e.g.
There's a good restaurant down the
road, about three miles.
The man who lives down the lane is famous around here.
6) If one thing has another thing down
it, it has it from the top to the bottom.
e.g.
She had a mass of dark-brown hair that came half-way down
her back.
Also used as an adverb:
e.g.
His striped tie hung down to his
belt.
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due to
If a situation or event is due to
something else, it exists or happens as a result of it. Used with
verbs:
e.g.
The general cost of living rose
by 5% last year due to inflation.
After a noun:
e.g.
One cause of illness is stress due to poor working conditions.
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during
1) If something happens during a
period of time, it happens continuously, or happens several times
between the beginning and end of that period. Used with verbs:
e.g.
He wrote a weekly column for 'The
Economist' during 1983-4.
2) If something develops during
a period of time, it develops gradually from the beginning to
the end of that period. Used with verbs:
e.g.
I hope this will become clear to
you during the course of the lectures.
3) If something happens during
a period of time, it happens at some point in that period. Used
with verbs:
e.g.
The cargo was stolen from the ship
during the voyage.
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except
You use except to introduce the only
things or people that your main statement does not apply to. Used
after an indefinite pronoun or a noun:
e.g.
There was nothing left of the house
after the earthquake except rubble.
They had no money, no clothes except those on their backs.
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except for
You use except for to introduce
the only things or people that your main statement does not apply
to or take account of. Used after a noun:
e.g.
He recognized all the faces except for
one.
Used after an adjective:
e.g.
The forest was silent except
for the buzzing of insects.
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excluding
You use excluding to introduce something
that is not part of a group that you are talking about.
e.g.
Excluding Greenland and Antarctica,
the world has 13.15 billion hectares of land.
END of Chapter Five