while
part of speech
conjunction (while; UK also whilst); noun (a while); verb (while away)
meaning for a pupil
1) While means at the same time as something else happens. tree →
2) While can mean but, or although, to show a difference. tree →
3) «A while» is some time, often not long. tree →
4) To while away time is to pass it in a relaxed way. tree →
5) Worth while (written as two words) means worth the time or effort. tree →
sense in the lessons
joins two facts told side by side, often to compare or add them; in stories, «while» tells that two things happen at once; phrases «a while», «for a while», «in a while», «once in a while», «worth your while»
examples
- Mary has 12 apples while Tom has 8. tree →
- While she read 20 pages, he read 15. tree →
- How many more does Mary have? tree →
- She waited a while. tree →
- I listened to music while I cleaned my room. tree →
- Don't use your phone while you cross the road. tree →
- See you in a while! tree →
- Once in a while we eat out. tree →
- Some birds fly south, while others stay. tree →
- The rain stopped for a while. tree →
- It is quite worth while trying.’ tree →
note
A joining word, no operation by itself; it puts two amounts side by side. Trap: «while» is not «more than»; check what the question asks. «A while» (noun) and «awhile» (adverb) are close. Do not mix up «while» and «wile» (a trick).
In the corpora
- While a parent is unemployed the family may claim benefits and cut spending; free fun like parks and libraries helps.
- Some cash machines charge a fee for taking out money, while most bank ones are free.
- Cashback at a shop means taking your own money out as cash while paying by card; it is not a gift.
- Some families use a food bank for a while, which is help, not shame.
- Fostering is looking after a child from another family for a while, when their own parents cannot cope for now.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «while» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.