The Thunder Rolls

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Writing Pet Peeves: "Despite of"

First, an apology to my readers, all three of you, for not posting in so long.  My writing skills were required elsewhere for the larger part of this month.  I will endeavor to produce more on the blog in the future, with fewer breaks between postings.

Now on to the latest writing pet peeve.  This one comes courtesy of a local restaurant.  There is construction going on next door to them, so they posted a sign that read, "Despite of the construction next door, we are still open."

My inner Grammar Nazi cringed when I saw it.  The incorrect grammar on display is a combination of two grammatically correct ways to say the sentence.

Correct: 1: "Despite the construction next door, we are still open."


Correct 2: "In spite of the construction next door, we are still open"

We have a redundancy of prepositions.  "Despite" is a preposition.  So is "of".  The purpose of a preposition is to show the relation between a noun or a pronoun and another word.  Despite relates the openness of the business with the construction next door.  The "of" has nothing to do with it. 
 
The phrase "in spite of" means "notwithstanding".
 
I am sure the writer of the sign had good intentions.  I see signs such as this one as a product of poor education in the English language.  These things were once taught in elementary and middle school English class.  It makes me wonder what they are teaching in English class these days.  Grammar does not seem to have a high priority.
 
I suspect that it also has to do with time spent reading.  Today's students spend more time on other pursuits, so there are fewer opportunities to see correct grammar used in context.
 
Ah well, poor grammar notwithstanding, I shall continue to eat at the restaurant.