0
EyeSeeYou Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
A while or Awhile ?
I've seen many say or write sentences such as 'I haven't spoken with him in a while/ in awhile'.
Are they both the same?
Are they both the same?
Top answer
Main Entry: awhile Function: adverb Etymology: Middle English awhile, on while, from 1 a-, on + while : for a time <the father of these girls ... had settled awhile in Virginia -- Dixon Wecter> : for a brief period -- often used for a while as the object of a preposition <for awhile there is silence -- Lord Dunsany> Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged .
- Main Entry: awhile Function: adverb Etymology: Middle English awhile, on while, from 1 a-, on + while : for a time <the father of these girls ...
- had settled awhile in Virginia -- Dixon Wecter> : for a brief period -- often used for a while as the object of a preposition <for awhile there is silence -- Lord Dunsany> Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged .
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
4 Answers
0
Main Entry: awhile
Function: adverb
Etymology: Middle English awhile, on while, from 1a-, on + while
: for a time <the father of these girls ... had settled awhile in Virginia -- Dixon Wecter> : for a brief period -- often used for a while as the ob
Function: adverb
Etymology: Middle English awhile, on while, from 1a-, on + while
: for a time <the father of these girls ... had settled awhile in Virginia -- Dixon Wecter> : for a brief period -- often used for a while as the ob
00
When “awhile” is spelled as a single word, it is an adverb meaning “for a time” (“stay awhile”); but when “while” is the object of a prepositional phrase, like “Lend me your monkey wrench for a while” the “while” must be separated from the “a.” (But if the preposition “for” were lacking in this sentence, “awhile” could be used in this way: “Lend me your monkey wrench awhile.”)
In my exper
In my exper
00
PoliteWhen “awhile” is spelled as a single word, it is an adverb meaning “for a time” (“stay awhile”); but when “while” is the object of a prepositional phrase, like “Lend me your monkey wrench for a while” the “while” must be separated from the “a.” (But if the preposition “for” were lacking in this sentence, “awhile” could be used in this way: “Lend me your monkey wrenc
00
Related Questions