Jude made the meeting … his poor health

Analyze the question: The sentence is "Mr. Jude made the meeting ____ his poor health." The blank is followed by a noun phrase ("his poor health"), so we need a preposition that shows contrast (he attended even though he was unwell).

Concept: "In spite of" and "despite" are prepositions meaning "regardless of." They must be followed by a noun, a noun phrase, or a gerund.

• "In spite of" is always written as three separate words.
• "Despite" is written alone, with no "of" and no "that".
• "Even though" is a conjunction. It must be followed by a clause (subject + verb), not a noun phrase.

Check each option:

• A. even though: Wrong. It needs a clause, e.g., "even though he was in poor health."
• B. inspite of: Wrong. "Inspite" is a common spelling error, as it is not a word in standard English.
• C. in spite of: Correct. It is spelled properly and is followed by the noun phrase "his poor health."
• D. despite that: Wrong. "Despite" does not take "that" here, and "despite that" would not fit before "his poor health."

Complete sentence: "Mr. Jude made the meeting in spite of his poor health."

Answer: C

Exam tip: Remember "in spite of" = three words, and "despite" = one word with no "of." If a clause follows (subject + verb), use "although/even though." If a noun follows, use "despite/in spite of." Watch out for the "inspite" trap, as JAMB loves testing it.