A WHILE or AWHILE |
UPDATED: OCT 2021
- A silly rule, but one of which you should be aware.
- Don't waste a lot of time studying this.
- It's not a speaking problem. Both are pronounced the same.
- It's a writing problem.
- When in doubt use "a while" with a preposition.
a while (duration of time) (use with: "for, in")
- I will be in my office for a while Saturday morning. Give me a call.
- My Manager will be out for a while, but I'm sure he will be back by 5.
- Have you ever been to Bangkok?
- Yeah. I was there for a while when working for Google.
- When will the meeting begin? In a while.
awhile (adverb) (short time) (don't use with "for, in")
- Don't leave. Stay awhile and let's catch up on things.
- When will you finish painting the house?
It will still be awhile. - Are you hungry?
No, I just had lunch awhile ago.