How Waiting for a While Is Better Than Waiting for Awhile. When while is used in this way, it is preceded by the indefinite article a as a separate word. The two-word expression a while is the article a plus the noun while, which means "a period of time" (as in "stay here for a while") or "the time and effort used" (as in "worth your while"). Delivered to your inbox! After awhile, the plant goes back to normal. Is it a while or awhile? Copyright © 2011 by English Essay Writing Tips www.englishessaywritingtips.com. In the second example, at the beginning of this article, while is used as a noun. Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. In the tab bar, click on ESSAY WRITING, GRAMMAR, WORDS, and SELF HELP for links to all the articles on this website and to related items on other websites. The children played for a while in the rain and now they are sopping wet. Area 51, Starship, and Harvest Moon: September’s Words in the News. Are there other points like this for which you would like some clarification? 'All Intensive Purposes' or 'All Intents and Purposes'? Trump touts rally successes, stare decisis —Liza Mundy, The Atlantic, June 2015, She was having computer trouble, she told him, and would be offline for a while. Which, do you suppose, is correct? There are, therefore, a few things you can do. There are some words that seem to be of perennial interest, so if you compare the list of words that were looked up most often in March with the words that were looked up most often in September, you will find a lot of words appearing on both lists. You can also substitute the phrase "for a while" for the one-word form in your context to help you decide. You can get a certain insight into human nature from analysing the words that people look up in dictionaries. (noun); I earned so little doing that job; it wasn’t worth my while. —Laurence A. Marschall, Natural History, May 2015. Whether you're in search of a crossword puzzle, a detailed guide to tying knots, or tips on writing the perfect college essay, Harper Reference has you covered for all your study needs. Check out words from the year you were born and more! In the three sentences given above, there is only one that is incorrect—the first one. Let’s clear up the confusion so that you will know how to use these words correctly. —Elizabeth McKenzie, The Saturday Evening Post, January/February 2012, Prices were going up rapidly nine months ago, peaked awhile back, and now, we're starting to see cotton prices go down and be more stable. In fact, some people who observe language patterns note that the usage of awhile after a preposition or with words like ago or back is becoming so common that it may eventually become standard. One can’t whinge, and this route can wait a while until the powerful herd of 25 creamy cattle have eaten their way through. All Rights Reserved. It must not be written awhile, which, as already noted, is an adverb and does not take a preposition.

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