Even though my friend seemed to enjoy the movie, I thought that it would never come to an end.
I think “even though” has been used incorrectly, otherwise it has the meaning as " So that". Because the speaker from the second part of the sentence says he would never thought the movie would come to an end because " his friend enjoyed the movie so much" or better to say " in a way" = “so that”, or “to a degree or extent”, but what I’ve heard and learned from “even though” so far, has never meant such conception.
The sentence is correct and contrasts two opposites: My friend seemed to enjoy the movie. Even if that’s true, I didn’t. The movie was so bad I thought it would never end.
The only thing I would do to the original sentence is remove the redundancies: Though my friend seemed to enjoy the movie, I thought it would never end.
That is a correct sentence. It may or may not be saying what you want it to say, but it is correctly constructed.
“Even though” means the same thing as “despite the fact that.” It is used to show contradiction between two parts of the sentence. Let’s try a simpler sentence:
Even though I like ice cream, I couldn’t eat my desert.
The fact that you like ice cream would normally mean that you would want to eat it. Not eating ice cream is the opposite of what you would expect from someone who likes ice cream.
Getting back to your original sentence:
Even though my friend seemed to enjoy the movie, I thought that it would never come to an end.
This is expressing the idea that you would normally expect to like a movie that your friend enjoys, but in this instance you were bored with it.
So that implies causation. If you say “A so that B” that means that A enables B. For example:
I gave my life so that others might live.
This implies that giving your life allowed others to live.
Because implies motivation or causation. “A because B” means that B causes A. For example:
I eat because I am hungry.
Being hungry is the reason you eat.
How about substituting one (similar) word for “even though”? Although my friend seemed to enjoy the movie,…
That sounds better to my ears, but I’m not sure why.
Maybe “although” implies contrast , so it prepares the reader for the idea that the rest of the sentence will compare two opposite emotions.
Although sounds better because we tend to use even though to imply unexpected contrast, rather than just contrast, as Alley Dweller mentions above.
With even though, the sentence in the OP implies that the speaker and his or her friend should have the same tastes, and this is not really evident because there is no context to the sentence.
Now it’s crystal clear. how easy it is, the problem is that I thought the speaker meant what he thought is what he perceived from his friend’s enjoyment and is judging about the possibility of the length of the movie, but I was wrong and by saying " I thought the movie would never …" he meant what is his own idea about the movie.
Bravo! You took the word out of my mouth, and the sentence misled me to this understanding that the speaker and his/her friend have the same tastes. That’s why I had problem with “even thought” , " enjoyed" and " would never come to an end".
If you ever get the chance, drop by Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson AZ. Absolutely fascinating. I never realized how much life is in the desert. It will leave you wanting more desert!
How did I get through half a century not knowing that? Matters not; thanx for the info, now I have something to lord over someone else wrings hands in delight
That sounds like an invite. BTW, how long have you been waiting for someone to fall into your desert/dessert trap?
I’ve never understood, how does this phrase make any sense?
If it were “just desserts”, that’s perfectly logical, because Karma’s always served at the end of the meal. But the one-s “deserts” implies the bad guy winds up with several giant oceans of sand – wha fu…?
Just deserts: things that are justly deserved. Not des-served.
deserts (with cactus): things that are deserted. Not des-serted.
desserts (with ice cream): Things that ARE des-served (etymologically: the last course, via French).
