ESL Writing: Regardless of / No matter (with embedded questions)

In this ESL writing exercise, students practice rewriting sentences using “regardless of” and “no matter”.

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Regardless of / No matter

Sentence Pattern:
Regardless of [embedded question], [sentence]
No matter [embedded question], [sentence]

An “embedded question” is like a question that is inside a sentence. Embedded questions begin with question words (who/what/when/where/why/how/which).

Examples:

• • My father never likes my boyfriends, regardless of who they are.
  • No matter how hard I try, my parents never seem satisfied with my grades.
  • Regardless of why you are late, you are in big trouble.
  • No matter why everyone hates Jon, I still feel sorry for him.
  • You can always call me, no matter how late it is.

Note: With this sentence pattern, you need to be careful. You are not actually asking a question when you use [what/when/where/why/how/which], so you need to be careful with the order of the words:

• • No matter why are you late… (Wrong!)
  • No matter why you are late… (Right!)

• • No matter how hard do I try… (Wrong!)
  • No matter how hard I try… (Right!)

Rewrite the sentences below using “no matter” or “regardless of”. The first one is done for you.

1. I can work very hard, but my father doesn’t care how hard I work. He just wants me to get good grades.

Answer: Regardless of how hard I work, my father just wants me to get good grades.  

2. It’s not important how old you are – it is still important to exercise.

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3. I don’t know who my teacher is, but I’m sure it will be a good class.

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4. You can call me anytime – I don’t care how late it is.

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