A While vs Awhile

A While vs Awhile A While vs Awhile A While vs Awhile By Ali Hale One of our readers, Robert, wrote to ask Daily Writing Tips: Heres a couple of words I use all the time interchangeably. But are they? a while vs. awhile Help me out, o oracle! No problem, Robert! This one’s pretty easy to grasp: A while is a noun meaning â€Å"a length of time† â€Å"I slept for a while.† (compare with â€Å"I slept for a bit† and â€Å"I slept for three hours†) â€Å"I was away from my desk for a while.† (compare with â€Å"I was away from my desk for two minutes†) Awhile is an adverb, meaning â€Å"for a time,† or literally, â€Å"for a while†. â€Å"I slept awhile before dinner.† (compare with â€Å"I slept deeply before dinner† and â€Å"I slept badly before dinner†.) As you can see, the words can be used almost interchangeably in some cases – but a while needs to be accompanied by a preposition, such as â€Å"for† (â€Å"I slept for a while†) or â€Å"ago† (â€Å"I left work a while ago†). Awhile always means â€Å"for a while†. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comparative Forms of AdjectivesThe Difference Between "will" and "shall"Shore It Up