Though is normally used as a less formal form of although.

And you can use although to express a contrast between two facts. Often, the contrast will be surprising.

Here is an example:

Although it had been raining for weeks, nobody got depressed.

You’d expect people to get depressed when they see nothing but rain, but no, they’re still cheery.

So people not getting depressed is a surprise. And you can show this by using although.

Another example of although:

Although it was cold, I was okay just wearing my sweater.

It’s surprising that I feel okay without a coat on, because it’s very cold.

And the last example:

The students’ marks were low, although Lucinda got an A+.

So in contrast to the general low grades, Lucinda got the highest grade.

If you still need to learn more about although, try this quiz or this quiz:

How to Use Though

Now we want to talk about though.

Though at the End of Your Sentence

First of all, you can put though at the end of your sentence, whereas you can’t do this with although.

Here is a correct example, and an incorrect one:

A Your English got better. You still need to work on your grammar, though.

B Your English got better. You still need to work on your grammar, although.

A is correct. B is incorrect.

Though with an Adjective

This type of sentence has an adjective first, then though, and then a description.

Like so:

Late though it was, the party was still going strong.

Late is the adjective.

Then you put though.

Then you put the subject: it.

And then a verb.

You can write or say this sentence in the usual way with although or though too:

Although it was late, the party was still going strong.

Here is another example:

Hard though it seemed, I finished my exam before the time.

I can also say it like this:

Although it seemed hard, I finished my exam before the time.

And the last example:

Strange though it may sound, Cory loves getting up at 5 am every morning.

Or you could put it like this:

Although it may sound strange, Cory loves getting up at 5 am every morning.

Time to do an exercise.

Quiz

You can do this quiz online and check your answers here. 

Write these sentences to mean exactly the same, with though plus an adjective.

Look at the example first:

Although he was frightened of big spiders, Jonas removed a big one from his bed.

You type:

Frightened though he was of big spiders, Jonas removed a big one from his bed.

1 Although the chance is low that our team will take the championship, I keep cheering them.

2 Although those oil paints are expensive, David still prefers them to acrylic paints.

3 Although she looks confident, Rhonda doesn’t enjoy her status as prettiest girl in our class.

4 Although those orange balls look disgusting, they taste delicious.

5 Although Lee looks experienced, she is a bad kisser.

6 Although he is busy in his job, he is taking an evening course to improve his English.

Still have questions about the subject of this post? Let other learners know in a comment.