Page 278 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

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in spite of
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In spite ofis used as a preposition. In spite of+ noun means more or less the same as although + clause.
We went out in spite ofthe rain. (= ... although it was raining.) We understood him in spite o f his accent.
(= ..• although he had a strong accent.)
In spite ofis the opposite of because of Compare:
She passed her exams in spite ofher teacher. (She had a bad teacher.)
She passed her exams because o f her teacher. (She had a good teacher.) In spite ofcan be followed by an -ing form.
In spite o f having a headache I enjoyed the film.
In spite ofcannot be followed directly by a that-clause. Instead, we can use in spiteofthefact that.
He is good company, in spite ofthefact that lIe talks all the time.
This is rather heavy: although means the same, and is more common.
In more formal English, despite can be used in the same way as in spite of
indeed
very . .. indeed
Indeed is often used to emphasise very with an adjective or adverb.
I was very pleased indeed to hear from you.
He was driving very fast indeed. Thank you very much indeed.
lntwed is unusual in this sense without very, and is not normally used after extremely or quite.
(NOT He ItItiS driving JY:tst indeed.)
(NOT He ItItiS driving quitelextrernely!fi3t intieetl.)
indeed with verb
Indeed can also be used after be or an auxiliary verb in order to suggest confirmation or emphatic agreement. This is rather formal. It is common in short answers (see 517).
We are indeed interested in your offer, and would be glad to have prices. It's cold. .... It is indeed.
Henry made a fool ofhimself - He did indeed.
indirect speech (1): introduction direct and indirect speech
When we report people's words, thoughts, beliefs etc, we can give the exact words (more or less) that were said, or that we imagine were thOUght. This kind of structure is called 'direct speech' (though it is used for reporting thoughts as well as speech).
So he said, 'I want to go home, ' and just walked out. She asked 'What do you want?'
And then I thought, 'WeU, does he really mean it?'
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