Hi everyone, welcome back to English with Max. Today I have a video
for you on how to use the word "though". This video is for people
learning English who have an intermediate to advanced level, so if you are a beginner,
you might find this a bit difficult. But it's free, so if you are a beginner and
you want to watch, that's fine too. As usual, I'd like to remind you that you
can follow me on social media. I have Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
And don't forget to subscribe to this channel if you want to be updated on
new videos. All of that is free as well. If you have an intermediate to advanced
level, I'm assuming you already know the words "although" and "but". "But" with one T.
"Butt" with two Ts means "bottom". Anyway if you don't know the meanings of "but" and
"although", I recommend that you first go and look them up in your language,
because if I have to explain them, this video is going to be very long.
You should also look up "despite" if you don't know it already.
Firstly, "though" can be a conjunction, which means it joins two clauses.
In other words, it joins two parts of a sentence. As a conjunction,
it can either mean "despite the fact that" or "but".
Let's look at the first meaning: despite the fact that.
When it has this meaning, you can use it interchangeably with "although".
The only real difference here between "though" and "although" is that "though"
is more commonly used in spoken language. But you can still use it
in formal situations and in written language. Let's see some examples.
I went for a walk though it was cold outside.
I passed the exam though I had barely slept.
You can also put the clause with "though" first. For example:
Though it was cold outside, I went for a walk.
Though I had barely slept, I passed the exam.
It doesn't really matter whether you put the clause with "though" first or second.
Normally you put the part you want to emphasise first, but the meaning stays the same.
You can also put the word "even" in front of "though" to add emphasis.
It just makes what you're saying a bit stronger.
For example: I went for a walk even though it was cold outside.
But be careful, you can't put "even" in front of "although".
You can also put "though" or "although" in front of an adjective.
For example: Though small, the cat can run fast.
Or: The cat, though small, can run fast.
This means: Despite the fact that the cat is small, it can run fast.
The second meaning of "though" is "but".
For example: I'm meeting my friend later though I don't know where.
I don't usually drink coffee though I've had 5 cups today.
You can also use "although" here.
I'm meeting my friend later although I don't know where.
I don't usually drink coffee although I've had five cups today.
Finally, "though" can be an adverb meaning "despite this",
and that is when you put it at the end of a sentence.
Native speakers do this all the time and it's relatively colloquial.
It basically means "but" or "however", but as I said,
it goes at the end of a sentence. It doesn't join two parts of a sentence.
Here are some examples.
I felt sick after eating the entire cake. It tasted good, though.
That's like saying: I felt sick after eating the entire cake, but it tasted good.
I don't like cooking. I like eating, though.
That means: I don't like cooking, but I like eating.
You can also sometimes put it after "thanks" or "thank you".
For example, when you decline something.
Someone could say to you: "Would you like some cake?"
Then you might answer: "I've already had some. Thanks, though."
It's like saying "but thanks" or "thanks anyway".
In these last examples, where "though" is at the end of a sentence,
you cannot replace it with "although". You cannot say:
"I don't like cooking. I like, eating although." No, that doesn't make sense.
And you cannot say: "Thanks, although." And you cannot, I repeat, you cannot put
"but" at the end of a sentence. Some native speakers make this mistake,
particularly in Australia. But you should not copy them.
I know that was a lot of information, but hopefully it's a bit clearer now.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to write them in the comments section... Or
you can leave a different comment if you want. As usual, please hit the thumbs up
if you found this useful, and don't forget to share it with your friends.
See you next time.
Cat...
Monty!