despite and in spite of

[abdou01]

Hello there,
I saw these two sentences in an English course.
- Despite it raining, we played tennis.
- In spite of it raining, we played tennis.
I know that the sentences are correct, but my question is:
Why there is no verb between the subject "it" and the gerund "raining".
Thanks in advance
abdou

 

[apex2000]

Because it is a phrase, not a sentence. Colloquial.