phrase (discourse marker) · academic
Contrary to + Noun/that-clause, + clause
Used to say that something is the opposite of what people think or expect.
Examples
“Contrary to popular belief, urbanisation can strengthen community networks.”
“Contrary to what many experts predicted, the measurements showed improvement.”
“Contrary to expectations, students responded positively to the change.”
Band 8 sentence
“Contrary to popular belief, economic growth does not automatically translate into improved well‑being for all social groups.”
Collocations
- Contrary to popular belief
- Contrary to expectations
Word family
Common mistakes
Contrary with popular belief, ...→Contrary to popular belief, ...
Contrary to many people think, ...→Contrary to what many people think, ...
On contrary, ...→On the contrary, ...
Say it for a higher band
5People think that ...→6Contrary to common belief, ...→7+Contrary to + Noun/that-clause, + clause
Synonyms
Despite
Against
Easily confused
Despite + Noun/Gerund
“Despite the rain, the match continued.”
On the contrary, + clause
“I thought the food was terrible; on the contrary, many guests praised it.”
Related words
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In Opening & closing ideas
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