In today’s post you will learn how to use the word though in sentences and the several different meanings that it can have depending on how it is used.
Pronunciation
But before I move on to the different meanings of though, let’s talk about how to pronounce it.
Some people are confused because it’s spelled with the same -ough ending as in tough /tʌf/ and through /θɹuː/, for example. But as you probably already know, in English we often have words that are pronounced differently from the way they are spelled.
To pronounce though /ðoʊ/, we start with the voiced th sound /ð/ where we put the tip of the tongue between the teeth. Make sure that your tongue is soft and you are not biting it. When you pronounce the voiced th /ð/, you need to be able to feel the air coming out between the tongue and the teeth while at the same time activating your vocal cords.
After the voiced th /ð/, we pronounce the diphthong /oʊ/ as in the word go /ɡoʊ/. And the whole word is pronounced as /ðoʊ/.
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Now, what does though mean?
Though as a subordinating conjunction
One of the main grammatical functions of the word though is a subordinating conjunction. Conjunctions are words that connect words, clauses, or sentences. And a subordinating conjunction is a type of conjunction that introduces a subordinate – or dependent – clause and connects it to the main – or independent – clause. For example, let’s look at these two contrasting statements:
I studied a lot.
and:
I got a bad grade on the exam.
They are contrasting because the fact that I studied a lot may imply that I should have gotten a good grade. The fact that I got a bad grade comes as a surprise. We can combine these two contrasting sentences into one using though:
Though I studied a lot, I got a bad grade on the exam.
Here, “I got a bad grade on the exam” is the main clause, and “I studied a lot” is the dependent one. And we put the subordinating conjunction at the beginning of the dependent clause. When though is used to connect a dependent clause to an independent one, we can state the two clauses in any order. Here is an example with the main clause at the beginning of the sentence:
I got a bad grade on the exam, though I studied a lot.
In these examples, though has the same meaning as: although, in spite of the fact that, or despite the fact that. In its function as a subordinating conjunction, though is fully interchangeable with these expressions. Let’s apply the changes to our earlier examples:
Although I studied a lot, I got a bad grade on the exam.
or:
I got a bad grade on the exam, although I studied a lot.
In spite of the fact that I studied a lot, I got a bad grade on the exam.
Despite the fact that I studied a lot, I got a bad grade on the exam.
Note that here though, although and the other two expressions must be followed by a subject and a verb.
On the other hand, we can also use shorter versions of the last two forms:
in spite of or despite, which require a noun, pronoun, or a gerund. Let’s look at these phrases:
In spite of studying a lot, I got a bad grade on the exam.
Despite studying a lot, I got a bad grade on the exam.
Do you see the difference?
All these sentences mean the same thing. So, you can pick and choose what works stylistically best for you.
Ok. Let’s look at other uses of the word though.
Even though
Our earlier example can be restated in a different way using the expression even though:
Even though I studied a lot, I got a bad grade on the exam.
I got a bad grade on the exam, even though I studied a lot.
Even though works exactly like though or although but is used in a slightly more formal language. Here are more examples:
It was really cold even though the sun was shining all day long.
She went to the party even though she wasn’t feeling well.
Even though the traffic was heavy, they arrived at the airport on time.
Though as a conjunction meaning: but, yet, or however
Though can also mean: but, yet, or however. In this case, it acts either as a subordinating conjunction as before, or as a coordinating conjunction that links two main clauses. Coordinating conjunctions join elements that are grammatically equal or similar. Here is an example of two sentences that are of equal importance:
The movie was long.
and:
The movie was interesting.
Now, let’s join these two sentences using though:
The movie was long, though it was interesting.
It has the same meaning as:
The movie was long, but it was interesting.
or:
The movie was long, yet it was interesting.
or:
The movie was long; however, it was interesting.
Here are two more examples with though used this way:
He is a bit shy, though he is very friendly once you get to know him.
She has a demanding job, though she enjoys the challenges it brings.
Though as an adverb meaning: but, yet, or however
But notice that in contrast to but and yet, though can be used at the end of the sentence. In this case it acts as an adverb and the two clauses form independent sentences. The overall meaning is the same, though. Well, I guess, I just used though this way 😂. Let’s rephrase our earlier examples by moving though to the end:
The movie was long. It was interesting, though.
He is a bit shy. He is very friendly once you get to know him, though.
She has a demanding job. She enjoys the challenges it brings, though.
While but and yet here cannot be used at the end of a sentence, we can use however instead of though. For example:
The movie was long. It was interesting, however.
But the word however is more often used at the beginning of a sentence. Though is actually more popular at the end.
As though / as if
Another use of though is as a part of the expression as though – which is a synonym to AS IF – and it indicates an unreal or improbable situation. For example:
She looked at him as though she had seen a ghost.
This is the same as:
She looked at him as if she had seen a ghost.
or:
The old book smelled as though it held the secrets of centuries.\
He spoke as though he had rehearsed extensively.
Questioning or emphasizing a positive statement
There are two more uses of though that are probably the most confusing to English learners. These are the cases when one person makes a positive statement and the other person answers with: is it, though? Or: isn’t it, though? For example, let’s say we have Alice and Bob talking:
Alice says: Molly is a great boss.
and Bob responds: Is she, though?
In this case Bob doesn’t think that Molly is a great boss and is questioning Alice’s statement. Bob’s response means: “Really? You think so? I don’t think so.”
But if Bob responds: “Isn’t she, though?” It means that Bob agrees that Molly is a great boss. “Isn’t she though” can be translated as: “Indeed. I think so too.” It intensifies the original statement.
By the way, Isn’t she, though? is typically stated with the falling intonation, which indicates a more assertive and confirmatory statement, rather than a question.
I know this might be confusing, but just remember that the question in its positive form – the positive verb plus the pronoun plus though – means that you disagree with or are questioning the other person’s statement. And the question in its negative form – the negative verb plus the pronoun plus though – means that you agree.
Here are more examples:
- That was a great movie.
- Was it though? – This means I didn’t like the movie,
- Wasn’t it though? – This means that I agree that the movie was great.
- I think she should apply for the job.
- Should she though? – It means that I don’t think she should apply.
- Shouldn’t she though? – This means that I agree that this would be a great job for her.
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Let me know in the comments if you use though often and how you usually use it. Also, comment below if you find any other words or grammatical structures in English confusing.
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