English Grammar - Despite, Even Though

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I often hear English learners use the word despite incorrectly when they're trying to show a contradiction or an unexpected result. Today, I'm gonna teach you how to correctly use the word despite, and I'm also gonna teach you how using the phrase even though can be a good alternative as well. So let me show you a common type of incorrect sentence that I hear English learners say sometimes. I hear them say something like this: Despite he lived there for many years, he didn't make many friends. This is incorrect because after the word despite, we're supposed to use a noun or noun phrase and not a whole clause with a subject and verb. For example, I could say, "Despite the fact that he lived there for many years, he didn't make many friends." This is a correct sentence because I say despite the fact. The fact is a noun phrase. But if I say, "Despite he lived there," this is incorrect because he lived there is not a noun phrase. It's a full clause with a subject and a verb. Here's another example. It's incorrect to say, "Despite the weather was bad, they played outside." Here's how you can say this correctly: Despite