Re-write the following sentences according to the instructions given after each. Make other changes that may be necessary, but do not change the meaning of each sentence.
He had plenty of wealth but he was not happy. (Begin: In spite ..................)
Topic: Transformation — 'in spite of'
Answer
In spite of having plenty of wealth, he was not happy. (Also acceptable: In spite of his wealth, he was not happy.)
IN SPITE OF introduces a concession, and two things must be right.
FIRST, THE FORM: it is "in spite OF" — all three words. Compare DESPITE, which takes no "of". Mixing them produces "despite of", the commonest error in this construction.
SECOND, WHAT FOLLOWS: "in spite of" must be followed by a NOUN or a GERUND, never by a full clause. So "in spite of HAVING plenty of wealth" or "in spite of HIS WEALTH" are correct; "in spite of he had wealth" is not.
Note that BUT disappears. Once "in spite of" introduces the concession, a second contrast word would be redundant — the same rule that forbids "although... but".
A comma follows the opening phrase before the main clause.