Use Though/Although & But/Yet: HSC 12th Board English Grammar PYQs
Welcome to a highly repeated grammar topic for your 12th Board Exams (HSC / ISC)! Transforming sentences using 'Though/Although' (Complex) and 'But/Yet' (Compound) is all about showing contrast. While the concept is simple, examiners love to test you on the infamous "Double Conjunction Trap". Master our advanced cheat sheet below, practice the top 20 Previous Year Questions (PYQs), and challenge yourself with the interactive Self-Test!
🔥 Exam Tip & The Advanced Contrast Cheat Sheet:
- Rule 1 (The Double Conjunction Trap): NEVER use 'Though/Although' and 'but/yet' in the same sentence. A sentence can either be Complex OR Compound, not both!
Wrong: Though he is poor, but he is honest.
Right: Though he is poor, he is honest.- Rule 2 (Complex → Compound): To change a sentence from Complex to Compound, remove 'Though/Although' from the beginning and add 'but' or 'yet' in the middle.
- Rule 3 (Simple → Complex/Compound):
👉 Simple: In spite of / Despite his poverty...
👉 Complex: Though he is poor...
👉 Compound: He is poor, but...- Punctuation Trick: When starting with 'Though/Although', always put a comma (,) at the end of that clause.
Top 20 Board Exam Questions: Though & But
Part 1: Complex to Compound (Remove Though, Add But)
Watch how 'Though' is dropped from the front, and 'but' is added in the middle!
- Question: Though he worked very hard, he could not win the scholarship. (Rewrite using 'but') - HSC March 2019
Answer: He worked very hard, but he could not win the scholarship. - Question: Although the weather was extremely bad, they continued their journey. (Make it a Compound sentence)
Answer: The weather was extremely bad, yet they continued their journey. (You can use 'but' or 'yet'). - Question: Even though she was tired, she completed all her assignments. (HSC July 2022)
Answer: She was tired, but she completed all her assignments. - Question: Though the question paper was difficult, many students scored full marks.
Answer: The question paper was difficult, yet many students scored full marks. - Question: Although he is very rich, he lives a simple life.
Answer: He is very rich, but he lives a simple life.
Part 2: Compound to Complex (Add Although/Though, Remove But)
Start the sentence with 'Though', and carefully remove the 'but' from the middle!
- Question: He is eighty years old, but he is still very active. (Rewrite using 'Although') - HSC March 2022
Answer: Although he is eighty years old, he is still very active. - Question: The team played exceptionally well, yet they lost the final match. (Make it a Complex sentence)
Answer: Though the team played exceptionally well, they lost the final match. - Question: She had all the necessary qualifications, but she was not selected for the job. (HSC March 2020)
Answer: Although she had all the necessary qualifications, she was not selected for the job. - Question: He ran as fast as he could, yet he missed the train.
Answer: Even though he ran as fast as he could, he missed the train. - Question: The house is quite small, but it is very beautifully decorated.
Answer: Though the house is quite small, it is very beautifully decorated.
Part 3: Simple to Complex (In spite of → Though)
Change the phrase into a full clause with a subject and a verb!
- Question: In spite of his illness, he attended the important meeting. (Rewrite using 'Though') - HSC March 2023
Answer: Though he was ill, he attended the important meeting. (illness → was ill). - Question: Despite her rigorous training, she failed to win the gold medal. (Make it a Complex sentence)
Answer: Although she trained rigorously, she failed to win the gold medal. - Question: In spite of being a brilliant scientist, he is very humble.
Answer: Though he is a brilliant scientist, he is very humble. - Question: Despite the heavy rain, the football match was not canceled. (HSC March 2024 Pattern)
Answer: Although it rained heavily, the football match was not canceled. - Question: In spite of his old age, he climbed the steep mountain.
Answer: Though he is old, he climbed the steep mountain.
Part 4: The Double Conjunction Corrections (Board Tricks)
Remove one of the conjunctions to make the sentence grammatically correct.
- Question: Spot the error and rewrite: Though she is my best friend, but she didn't help me.
Answer: Though she is my best friend, she didn't help me. (Removed 'but'). - Question: Spot the error and rewrite: Although it was very dark outside, yet he went out alone.
Answer: Although it was very dark outside, he went out alone. (Removed 'yet'). - Question: Spot the error and rewrite: Even though he apologized, but I did not forgive him.
Answer: He apologized, but I did not forgive him. (Removed 'Even though' to make it compound). - Question: Spot the error and rewrite: Though they searched everywhere, but they couldn't find the lost keys.
Answer: Though they searched everywhere, they couldn't find the lost keys. - Question: Spot the error and rewrite: Although he is highly educated, but he lacks common sense.
Answer: Although he is highly educated, he lacks common sense.
📝 Test Yourself: Guess the Transformation!
Have you mastered the double conjunction trap? Try transforming these 5 tricky 12th board-level sentences. Click on "Show Answer" to check your accuracy!
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Question: Combine using 'Though': The man was completely blind. He crossed the busy road safely.
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Answer: Though the man was completely blind, he crossed the busy road safely.
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Question: Rewrite using 'but': Although the food was spicy, he ate all of it.
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Answer: The food was spicy, but he ate all of it. (Remember to remove Although!)
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Question: Spot the Error: Though the alarm rang loudly, but he didn't wake up.
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Answer: Though the alarm rang loudly, he didn't wake up. (Remove 'but').
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Question: Rewrite using 'Although': In spite of having a map, they got lost in the forest.
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Answer: Although they had a map, they got lost in the forest.
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Question: Combine using 'yet': She practiced for months. She failed the driving test.
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Answer: She practiced for months, yet she failed the driving test.
The ultimate secret to mastering this topic is resisting the urge to use 'but' when a sentence already starts with 'Though'. They are enemies; they can never sit in the same sentence! Bookmark this page, practice thoroughly, and secure your marks in the HSC / ISC English grammar section!