A newspaper of their own: although, even though, whereas and while
About this lesson
This B2 ESL lesson plan teaches although, even though, whereas and while through Freedom's Journal, a New York weekly started in 1827.
- Grammar
- Although or even though + a clause for a surprise (Although it lasted only two years, it mattered.), whereas or while for two different facts, and the commas.
- Topic
- A paper widely described as the first owned and run by Black Americans, and how sources word one fact, with words such as editor, issue and legacy.
- Activities
- An explainer to read, an archive visit and a reader's voice memo to hear, self-checking drills, a chat about two news sources, a source checklist to sort and question boxes.
What's inside
Chapter 1Warm-up: hot off the press
Chapter 2Let's read: a voice of their own
Chapter 3Let's listen: no coffee in the archive
Chapter 4Grammar: although it lasted only two years
- Study the scheme: although, whereas and whileGrammar schemeTry it
- Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps with the right linkerFill in the gapsTry it
- Fill in the table: although for a surprise, whereas for two different factsFill in the tableUnlock
- Choose the correct answer: what does it mean?QuizUnlock
- Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
Chapter 5Let's talk: two sources, one story
Chapter 6Homework
- Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
- Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
- Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: words and meaningsMemory gameUnlock
- Choose the correct option: new sentencesChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps with the right linker: new sentencesFill in the gapsUnlock
- Put the words in the correct order: new sentencesUnjumbleUnlock
- Choose the correct answer: which sentence is correct?QuizUnlock
- Choose the correct option: Leona answers KerryChoose the optionUnlock
- Drag the words into the gaps: This week in the archiveDrag and dropUnlock
Media vocabulary
12 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.
+9 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words
- issue
- readership
- viewpoint
- subscriber
- the press
- legacy
- short story
- overseas
- voice
Grammar: linkers of contrast: although, even though, whereas and while
Each of these linkers starts a clause with its own subject and verb and joins it to another clause. Freedom's Journal lasted only about two years yet still mattered, and its sources describe it in different words, so learners ask first: a surprise, or two different facts? Then they place the commas and keep but out of an although sentence.
Although it lasted only two years, it mattered
Linkers of contrast: each one starts a clause (subject + verb) and joins it to another clause.
A surprise: although and even though
Although brings in a fact that makes the other clause unexpected: Although it lasted only two years, it mattered. Even though makes the surprise stronger: Even though it was printed in one city, copies reached Europe. But shows a contrast too, always between the two clauses.
| Linker | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| although | a surprise: the other clause is unexpected after this one | Although it lasted only two years, it mattered. |
| even though | a stronger surprise | Even though it was printed in one city, copies reached Europe. |
| whereas | two different facts side by side | Cornish left in 1827, whereas Russwurm stayed until 1829. |
| while | the same as whereas: two different facts side by side | Leona counts years, while Fitzgerald counts what came after. |
| but | a contrast, always between the two clauses | It lasted only two years, but it mattered. |
Two different facts: whereas and while
Whereas puts two facts side by side with no surprise: Cornish left in 1827, whereas Russwurm stayed until 1829. While can do the same job. Learners already know while for time; when it compares two facts, it means whereas.
Surprise or comparison?
Ask: is one fact surprising after the other? Use although, or even though for a stronger surprise. Are you putting two different facts side by side? Use whereas or while. You know while for time (While I was reading, the phone rang.). When it compares two facts, it means whereas.
From the story
- Although Freedom's Journal ran for only about two years, it became a model for later papers.
- Even though the paper was printed in New York City, copies reached Haiti, Europe and Canada.
- Although Cornish helped start the paper, he left after about six months.
- Cornish was the senior editor, while Russwurm was the junior editor.
- A Cornell exhibit calls it the first Black-edited newspaper, whereas the American Antiquarian Society calls it the first Black-owned and -operated one.
- Leona counts years, whereas Fitzgerald counts what came after.
Where the comma goes
An although clause that comes first ends with a comma: Although the paper was small, it reached Europe. After the main clause, there's usually no comma. A comma goes before whereas or while, and after a While clause that opens the sentence.
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Although + clause, main clause | Although the paper was small, it reached Europe. |
| main clause + although + clause (usually no comma) | It reached Europe although it was small. |
| fact A, whereas / while fact B | My dad reads on paper, whereas I read online. |
| While fact A, fact B | While my dad reads on paper, I read online. |
One linker, not two
Although and but share one job, so a contrast takes only one of them: It was small, but it reached Europe. An although clause alone isn't a sentence; to start a new sentence with a contrast, use But. And write even though, never even although.
One linker, not two
with although
- Although it was small, it reached Europe.
- It reached Europe although it was small.
with but
- It was small, but it reached Europe.
- It was small. But it reached Europe.
Small words, big mistakes
Write even though, never even although. After although, even though, whereas and while comes a clause with a subject and a verb: even though it rained, not even though of the rain. A sentence with although needs a second clause: “Although it was small.” is not a sentence. To start a new sentence with a contrast, use But.
Common mistakes
Four slips: Although it lasted two years, but it mattered; Even though of the rain; whereas for a surprise (Whereas the paper was small, it reached Europe); and Despite it was late. Before a subject and a verb, use although.
Although it lasted two years, but it mattered.
Although it lasted two years, it mattered.
one linker: although or but, never both
Even though of the rain, we went to the archive.
Even though it rained, we went to the archive.
even though + subject + verb, never + of
Whereas the paper was small, it reached Europe.
Although the paper was small, it reached Europe.
a surprise: although, not whereas
Despite it was late, the archive was open.
Although it was late, the archive was open.
before subject + verb: although
More lessons on this grammar: Linking words lessons and exercises
Try the although and whereas exercises
Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.
What's in the lesson
- 19 auto-checked exercises
- 6 games
- 1 article
- 1 grammar scheme
- 1 set of word cards
- 2 audio clips
- 2 pictures
- 2 transcripts
The main objectives of this lesson are to:
- show a surprise with although, or a stronger one with even though: Even though the paper was printed in New York City, copies reached Haiti, Europe and Canada.
- set two different facts side by side with whereas or while: Cornish was the senior editor, while Russwurm was the junior editor.
- put the comma where it belongs: Although the paper was small, it reached Europe. My dad reads on paper, whereas I read online.
- use one linker per contrast and a clause after it: Although it lasted two years, it mattered, not Although…, but… or even though of the rain
- compare two news sources: The paper names the city's parks office, whereas the post gives no source at all.
Lesson 13 opens News and truth, unit 4 of English B2.2 · Culture and Society. Students have joined clauses with but since A2 and used while for time since B1.1 lesson 26; here both meet although, even though and whereas. Lesson 14 moves on to the impersonal passive, and lesson 15 adds despite and however. A paper that lasted two years yet became a model, described in different words by each source, needs both kinds of contrast.
Students spin a wheel of questions about where they get the news, then learn twelve words, from publish and circulate to subscriber and legacy, with pictures and audio. They read Leona's explainer on Freedom's Journal, then hear her argue with Fitzgerald, a librarian, over how to measure a newspaper's success, and Kerry, a journalism teacher from New York, answer in a voice memo; both are AI-voiced. The grammar chapter has the scheme and five self-checking drills, among them a table that sorts surprises from side-by-side facts. In the speaking chapter, students help Lottie compare a viral post with the local paper in a chat, sort the signs of a trustworthy source and open boxes about judging a newspaper.
All ten homework tasks check themselves: a match, an anagram, gaps with the news words and a memory game; then linker choices and gaps in new sentences, word order and a quiz on which sentence is correct; then Leona's reply to Kerry with linkers to choose and Fitzgerald's archive pick with words to drag in.
- Grammar:
- linkers of contrast · although and even though · whereas and while · although vs but · commas with linkers
- Topic:
- Freedom's Journal · the first newspaper owned and run by Black Americans · New York City in 1827 · the history of American newspapers · comparing news sources · news and truth · The Why Desk
Teaching tips
- Ask “surprise or side by side?” before the drills. Read pairs aloud, such as the paper was small / it reached Europe and Cornish left / Russwurm stayed, and students choose although or whereas for each.
- Compare the three wordings of the paper's “first” in the explainer's sixth paragraph: Cornell's, the American Antiquarian Society's and the Library of Congress's. Students join two of them in one sentence with whereas.
- Play the archive dialogue twice: first to find out how Leona and Fitzgerald each measure success, then to catch every linker. Students mark which ones show a surprise and which set two views side by side.
- Cross out the extra but: write Although it lasted two years, but it mattered on the board, and students fix it two ways, with although alone and with but alone.
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The whole course: English B2.2 · Culture and Society
32 more lessons for adults at B2 in American English, with the same Why Desk team in Pittsburgh. Each lesson answers one question about how Americans learn, work, travel and remember, from the law behind the 40-hour week to the oral histories of StoryCorps. Learners link ideas in formal writing, report what is said and believed, and pack more into a sentence with participle and relative clauses. The practice exercises check themselves.See the course
Unit 1 Learning reimagined
adjective suffixes and negative prefixes, mixed conditionals, provided that and on condition that
Lesson 1College for farmers' kids?Adjective suffixes and negative prefixes
Lesson 2One cousin, one video, millions of learnersMixed conditionals: a past cause, a result now
Lesson 3A college that says yesConditional linkers: provided that, on condition that, assuming, otherwise
Lesson 4School in the woodsMixed conditionals: a present state, a past result
Unit 2 Work-life balance
be required to and be entitled to, present and perfect participle clauses, participle clauses after conjunctions
Lesson 5Who decided a week is 40 hours?Formal rules: be required to, be entitled to, be exempt from
Lesson 6A paid year off: rest or research?Present participle clauses for time and reason
Lesson 7Was the coffee break born in Wisconsin?Perfect participle clauses: having done and having been done
Lesson 8Why is the first Monday of September a day off?Participle phrases after conjunctions
Unit 3 Turning points
reduced relative clauses, preposition + which and whom, which for a whole clause, noun + preposition
Lesson 9The keyboard that opened the officeReduced relative clauses: -ing and the past participle
Lesson 10Earthrise: the photo that changed how we see EarthPreposition + which and whom
Lesson 11A city of white palaces for six monthsSentence relative clauses: which for a whole clause
Lesson 12The count that took eight years?Noun + preposition: a need for, a solution to, access to
Unit 4 News and truth
although, whereas and while, the impersonal passive, despite and however, is said to have
Lesson 13 · you're hereA newspaper of their ownLinkers of contrast: although, even though, whereas and while
Lesson 14Bat-people on the Moon?The impersonal passive: It is said that…
Lesson 15Read like a fact-checkerLinkers of contrast: despite, in spite of, however and even so
Lesson 16Did George Washington really chop down a cherry tree?Passive reporting verbs: is said to have done
Unit 5 Travel that gives back
so as to, in order to and so that, modifying comparatives, linkers of reason and result, verb + object + preposition + -ing
Unit 6 Sport and society
verb + noun collocations, what phrasal verb particles mean, a for-and-against essay, nouns from phrasal verbs
Unit 7 Buildings and heritage
past participle clauses, quantifier + of which and of whom, report language, turn out and prove
Lesson 25Homes built into the cliffsPast participle clauses with a passive meaning
Lesson 26A house over a waterfallQuantifier + of which and of whom
Lesson 27From factory to art museumReport language: headings, impersonal style, recommendations
Lesson 28The towers the city tried to pull downTurn out and prove + to-infinitive or that clause
Unit 8 Generations
adverb + adjective collocations, three-part phrasal verbs, negative and echo questions, prepositional phrases
