Step 94: However Hard
Hypothetical mastery — Advanced conditionals: inversion and formal forms
📖 Read — The Colorado Climb
The climbers rose before dawn. However hard the wind blew, their guide, Marcus, kept the line moving. Difficult as the slope was, nobody complained. “No matter how tired you feel,” Marcus called, “keep your eyes on the next ten steps — only the next ten.”
Much as Elena feared heights, she trusted the rope and her team. Try as the mountain might to shake them off, they climbed on — through exhaustion, through doubt, through weather that changed its mind every hour. Near the top, the clouds opened. Exhausted as they were, the climbers stood taller. Through thick and thin, the mountain had tested them — and, inch by inch, they had answered.
🧩 Grammar — Advanced Concessive Structures
Beyond although (Step 75), C1 concedes with style: However + adjective/adverb + clause: However hard it rains, we go. No matter how/what/who/where… — the unfenceable version. Adjective + as + clause: Tired as he was, he smiled (= although he was tired). Much as + clause: Much as I respect him, I disagree (= although I respect him a lot). Try as X might for heroic effort against an immovable world. And the polite granter: Admittedly, … (yes, you're right that…) before your counterpoint.
- However cold it gets, the river flows.
- No matter what happens, call me.
- Young as she was, she led the team.
- Much as I love the city, I need the mountains.
🏗️ Key structures
- However ___ ___, ___ — However difficult the test, stay calm.
- ___ as subject + was/were, ___ — Exhausted as they were, they smiled.
- No matter how / what / who ___, ___ — No matter who asks, the answer is practice.
⭐ Idiom & natural phrases
They stayed friends through thick and thin.
🔤 New words
agree that something is true, often unwillingly; also allow entry
Admittedly, the plan had one flaw.
admit that something is true or give a point in an argument
She conceded that the data was weak.
never stopping or becoming kinder; constant and harsh
The relentless wind tore at the tents.
the firm decision to keep going until you succeed
Her determination carried the team.
strong, powerful, and aggressive (wind, competition, love)
A fierce storm hit the coast.
the state of being extremely tired
After the climb, exhaustion won.
continue trying despite difficulties
If you persist, the door opens.
a great victory or success — and the joy that comes with it
Reaching the summit was a triumph.
🎧 Say it with me
However hard the wind blew, we climbed on. Exhausted as we were, we stood tall — through thick and thin, we made it!
🎤 Your turn to speak
Tell a perseverance story in 4 sentences: one However-clause, one Adjective-as clause, and one No matter how sentence.
Say it out loud three times. Even better: record it on your phone and listen — your ear is your best teacher.
✍️ Your turn to write
Write 5 sentences about someone who refused to give up. Use However, an adjective-as clause, and Much as or Try as.
See a model answer
However slowly her recovery began, Grandma Rose walked a little farther every day. Weak as her legs were, her determination never bent. Much as the doctors advised rest, she insisted on her morning walk. Try as the winter might to keep her indoors, she bundled up and went out anyway. By spring, she was walking to the market — a quiet triumph.
Self-check: capital letters? Full stops? Did you use the grammar of this step?
📝 Quick check
Go deeper
This step is a doorway — the full lesson goes much further:
Fronting: Moving Adverbials for Focus — full lesson + 50-question quiz
🎉 Saved in your progress!