concessive

Concessive is a grammatical feature or construction that expresses a concession: a situation in which something occurs despite a contrary condition. Concessive expressions signal a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens, or between two propositions in a sentence. They are commonly used to acknowledge an obstacle or countervailing factor while presenting the main outcome.

In English, concessive forms are typically built with subordinating conjunctions such as although, though, even though, and even if. The concessive clause may precede or follow the main clause, and punctuation often marks the boundary when the dependent clause comes first. For example: Although it was late, we continued the work. Even though it was expensive, she bought the car. In addition to clauses, concessive meaning can be conveyed by prepositional phrases such as in spite of or despite, as in In spite of the rain, the match continued, or Despite the objections, the plan was approved. Concessive adverbs like nevertheless or nonetheless can link two clauses to express a contrast.

Semantically, concessives express a counter-expectation or a limiting condition that does not prevent the realized event. They are a common device in formal and informal speech, often used to acknowledge a potential difficulty while emphasizing the ultimate result. Cross-linguistically, many languages have dedicated concessive constructions, though markers and syntax vary.