{"id":5588,"date":"2021-11-19T06:00:19","date_gmt":"2021-11-19T12:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/?p=5588"},"modified":"2021-11-04T12:17:06","modified_gmt":"2021-11-04T17:17:06","slug":"a-while-vs-awhile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/adjectives-adverbs\/a-while-vs-awhile\/","title":{"rendered":"A While<\/em> vs. Awhile<\/em>: Do You Know the Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A while<\/em> and awhile<\/em> both sound the same when spoken aloud, leading some to think that the two are the same or that one is a misspelling of the other. The two constructions\u2014one as a two-word phrase and the other as a single word\u2014mean different things.<\/p>\n

In today’s post, we will explain the difference so you can use each one correctly in your own writing. Let’s get started!<\/p>\n

The Difference Between A While<\/em> and Awhile<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

When written as two words, a while<\/em> is a noun phrase that means “some amount of time.” In American English, it usually corresponds to something that has taken (or is taking) longer than expected.<\/p>\n

Examples<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I hoped Rebecca would call after our date, but it’s been a while<\/em>.<\/p>\n

It has been a while<\/em> since that deli opened, but I still don’t see many customers going inside.<\/p>\n

I hoped the new subway station might open this month, but the city planner says it’s going to be a while<\/em> before the renovation is finished.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As a single word, awhile<\/em> is an adverb that means “for some length of time.” In that way, it is much like the two-word phrase; however, it should be applied only to action words. Let’s look at an example:<\/p>\n

After I had been running awhile<\/u>, I noticed my feet were starting to hurt.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Because awhile <\/em>modifies the verb running<\/em> in this sentence, making it an adverb, the single-word version is proper. If the expression is the object of a preposition in that same sentence, it becomes a noun phrase, and we would use the two-word version:<\/p>\n

After I had been running for<\/u> a while<\/u>, I noticed my feet were starting to hurt.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0<\/em>In this sentence, a<\/em> while <\/em>is the object of the preposition for<\/em>.<\/p>\n

As you can see, both versions have their correct applications. In American English, the two-word a while<\/em> is probably the more common between them. If you are ever in doubt about which expression to use, simply ask yourself if it is serving as an adverb (awhile<\/em>) or a noun phrase (a while<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Pop Quiz<\/h2>\n

Using what you now know, choose the correct expression in each sentence below.<\/p>\n

1. I’ve been waiting [a while \/ awhile], but the bus is due any minute.<\/p>\n

2. Jackson had been baking [a while \/ awhile] when he realized the oven wasn’t actually switched on.<\/p>\n

3. We should get comfortable because we are probably going to be here for [a while \/ awhile].<\/p>\n

4. It has been [a while \/ awhile] since we’ve eaten. Are you hungry?<\/p>\n

5. Donna suddenly remembered it had been [a while \/ awhile] since she had called her parents.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pop Quiz Answers<\/h3>\n

1. I’ve been waiting awhile<\/strong>, but the bus is due any minute.<\/p>\n

2. Jackson had been baking awhile<\/strong> when he realized the oven wasn’t actually switched on.<\/p>\n

3. We should get comfortable because we are probably going to be here for a while<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

4. It has been a while<\/strong> since we’ve eaten. Are you hungry?<\/p>\n

5. Donna suddenly remembered it had been a while<\/strong> since she had called her parents.<\/p>\n

Need Useful Grammar Tips?<\/h2>\n

Now that you further recognize the difference between a while<\/em> and awhile<\/em>, keep your grammar learning going. Our website includes hundreds of great articles and tips. Browse them while you’re here. You can also ask a question or suggest a future topic in the comments below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A while and awhile both sound the same when spoken aloud, leading some to think that the two are the same or that one is a misspelling of the other. The two constructions\u2014one as a two-word phrase and the other as a single word\u2014mean different things. In today’s post, we will explain the difference so […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,72,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adjectives-adverbs","category-nouns","category-spelling"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5588"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5588"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5590,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5588\/revisions\/5590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}