During/while

No, 'while' is not a preposition, Hanuman. About.com is a useful and usually reliable site, but their heading is misleading-- they are comparing 'while' to the prepositions 'for' and 'during' (with which it is often confused). As you see, they make it clear by stating that 'while' should be used with a verb form (and they do not mean with a gerund!)

Hello Hanuman

In the examples on that page, I would have said that 'while' was acting as a conjunction. But others may differ.

(I only know 'while = preposition' in some local English dialect or historic uses, to mean 'until'. But that isn't ordinary current English.)

MrP

Sir(Mr.MM)

(and they do not mean with a gerund!)

I could not understand it what you want to say.

Please explain it with an example.

Thanks.

About.com states that 'while' should be used with a verb form (and they do not mean with a gerund!).

This means that the 'verb form' mentioned by About.com does not include gerunds.

Sir,

It means that

I slept while reading. not correct.

I slept during reading. IS this correct?

If not so,Then how to write It?

I slept while I was reading a book.
I slept while reading a book.

Thanks.

'I slept while reading' is correct-- 'reading' is a nonfinite clause. 'I slept during reading' is incorrect for the same reason.

'I slept during the reading' means that I fell asleep while another person was giving a public reading (of poetry, etc.)

'I slept while I was reading a book.'
'I slept while reading a book.' -- both of these are fine.

But-to split hairs-sleeping while reading is impossible.
Perhaps the questioner means: 'I fell asleep while (I was) reading a book.' My ESL students frequently say, ' I slept late, when they mean, 'I went to sleep late.'