Although and but

The conjunctions although and but have the same meaning. Note that although and though are subordinating conjunctions; but is a coordinating conjunction.

Clauses beginning with though and although have to be attached to another clause whereas clauses beginning with but can stand alone. However, it should be noted that starting a sentence with ‘but’ is not considered appropriate in good English.

Study the following sentence.

Although the room was hot, he was wearing a thick coat.

We can express the same idea using but.

The room was hot but he was wearing a thick coat.

Exercise

Rewrite the following sentences using though/although.

1. The sea was rough but we went for a swim.

2. Mother was angry but she said nothing.

3. She was tired but she didn’t stop.

4. The medicine tasted nasty but I drank it.

5. The child injured himself but he didn’t cry.

6. The girl worked hard but she could not win the first prize.

Answers

1. Although / though the sea was rough we went for a swim.

2. Although / though mother was angry she said nothing.

3. Although / though she was tired she didn’t stop.

4. Although / though the medicine tasted nasty I drank it.

5. Although / though the child injured himself, he didn’t cry.

6. Although / though the girl worked hard she could not win the first prize.

Notes

Although and though mean the same. Though is more common in an informal style.