what's the different between "despite of" and "in spite of"?

Question

I am doing a cloze question:
____its former good reputaion, the consturction comany still went bankrupt.
(a) Despite of (b)In spite of
the correct answer is b,why?

I saw a sentence
"The boys went for a walk despite of the rain." is it correct?

Answer 1

"Despite" is a preposition: It directly connects a noun to the rest of the sentence. So, "despite its reputation" is a correct prepositional phrase; you don't need the "of."

"Spite" is a noun. "In spite of its reputation" is two separate prepositional phrases, one starting with "in" and one starting with "of."

Long story short: "Despite" by itself means the same thing as "in spite of." Some old-fashioned writers also use "in despite of" -- but you don't see that usage around much anymore.

Answer 2

In Despite Of

Answer 3

I forgot the grammar rules for this situation but, "Despite of its former" just doesn't sound right. Something like "Despite a formerly" would be correct.

Answer 4

The difference is that "in spite of" is correct and "despite of" is wrong. You could replace "in spite of" with "despite" (no "of") in most cases...or the other way around. But there's no "despite of".

Answer 5

it's the same thing, the only difference is that despite is one word but in spite of, three words.

Answer 6

Everybody's right, so let me just add that the second sentence you have added is wrong and should only read 'despite the rain'.

Answer 7

You wouldn't say despite of, of isn't used after despite. You could say Despite its former good reputation.....

Answer 8

you could take the "of" part out of answer (a).... Then both options would be correct

Answer 9

i think its only despite...not "despite of"..that might be the reason..