awhile vs a while quiz

Published by on November 13, 2020

Jefferson worked in his library for a long while before emerging with a draft of the Declaration of Independence. A While vs. A while expresses "a period of time" (an indefinite amount). Pop-Q Awhile. That’s actually an excellent test for whether awhile is correct. The phrase a while generally means “a period, length or interval of time”. What’s an…, Scientists are big into molecular compounds, and there is something kind of magical about them. That sentence right there pretty much illustrates exactly how to use awhile vs. a while. Licensed by CC0. Otherwise, you want a while—that is, indefinite article a plus noun while. Here's the scoop! (a brief travel time), *Yellow highlighting indicates example of incorrect usage. Whether you should hyphenate “year old” is one of those little grammatical issues that isn’t really an issue…, Sometimes it seem like grammar is full of stuffy, stodgy terms. Is There a Hyphen in "Year Old?" Grammar Quizzes by Julie Sevastopoulos is licensed for use under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 International. Also see related pages Temporal (Time) Expressions and Temporal Prepositions that Include Nouns. So the noun phrase a while means “a period of time.” Awhile Definition. And that’s okay because it bears repeating. Yes I am. Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "Check" or "Check 1-10" button at the bottom. On the other hand, a while is a two-word expression used as a noun phrase consisting of the article a and the noun while. Terms and Conditions    |    Privacy Policy. Where for a while wouldn’t work in its place, it is probably not an adverb, so it should be two words: a while. — I'm trying to count all these jelly beans. What the heck does antecedent mean? What is a participle, for example? Otherwise, you want a while—that is, indefinite article a plus noun while. In fact, you can have a long, rich, and fulfilling writing life without ever using awhile. The noun phrase a while can (and often does) follow a preposition, such as for or in.Here’s an example: He said he would be home in a while. Grammar-Quizzes › More › Writing Aids › Commonly Confused Words › Awhile v. A while, Julie Sevastopoulos (contact) — ESL / ELL / TEFL — English Grammar Reference / Resource – Practices & Exercises – Palo Alto, California USA — The word awhile is an adverb meaning \"for a while.\" 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\"). By Roger W, Flickr, 15 Jan 2014. Word Categories: N – Noun; V – Verb; Aux – Auxiliary; Adj – Adjective; Adv – Adverb; P –Preposition; Det –Determiner. If you have a moment or two to while away, stay awhile with me while I explain exactly when and how to use a while vs. awhile. That’s actually an excellent test for whether awhile is correct. See Works Cited below. Accessed 5 Mar. Free gamified quizzes on every subject that students play in class and at home. We haven't seen him for a while. See Preposition Properties. You can start with a couple of atoms of…, Sign up to receive exclusive offers and updates, Elite Editing is based in New York, NY, and provides professional proofreading, editing, and writing services for students, writers, businesses, ESL, academics, website creators, and others. Pick an existing quiz or create your own for review, formative assessment, and more. We've been stuck here in traffic for a while. This lesson will teach you when to use which word. The [article + noun] is a noun phrase which commonly occurs after the preposition for or in, but may also occur with the preposition omitted (understood from context). (for all the period of time). Awhile vs. a while: Awhile is always an adverb that means for a short time. While Naomi is never likely to confront her boss, she hates how he treats her. The answers are at the bottom. While can be a noun that means a period of time. We’d argue that awhile has a folksy feel, so it will rarely (if ever) be appropriate in formal writing of any kind, and you don’t need it in your fiction—unless that aw shucks, Mark Twain style is what you’re going for. The Dragon Grammar Book: Grammar for Kids, Dragons, and the Whole Kingdom. Let's look at the difference between when to use awhile and a while as an example of how words come into being because of the way we use them in spoken language. While can be a noun that means a period of time. 2019. Awhile expresses "for a short period of time" (briefly, temporarily). Here’s a quick awhile vs. a while quiz. (connective preposition, concession), I was answering my email while he was talking to his friend. Copyright © 2020 Elite Editing. How do you use a while and awhile correctly? The prefix occurs mostly with spatial words, for example, around, about, abroad, aboard, aside. Awhile vs. a while; Awhile is an adverb meaning for a while, and it only works where it would bear replacement with that three-word phrase. The Quick and Dirty Tip is that "awhile" and "a while" both describe a vague length of time, but you use the one-word version when you need an adverb and the two-word version when you need a noun. Once in awhile / a while; Rest for awhile / a while. I spent awhile/ a while wondering whether I’d chosen the right word. We'll leave in a while. ("for for-while",  not used), I live a while away from them. Why, yes! Your email address will not be published. awhile Awhile is an adverb that means an unspecified amount of time. All the while, we were sitting in a taxi unable to pass. Since prepositions need an object of the preposition after them (a noun or pronoun), this one-word version is not the correct choice after a preposition. Awhile vs. A While. You've probably noticed that this can either be one word (awhile) or two words (a while). Required fields are marked *. As a conjunction, while can mean during the time in which or at the same time as. (an extended period), Two cars crashed and the drivers were arguing. ¹ The words awhile and a while can be confusing because they sound the same; they differ slightly in meaning and in their use.

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