A few people…no…some people… Who am I kidding? A lot of people seem to get awfully confused over ‘for a while’ and ‘awhile’. It’s one of those mix-ups I used to utter a sotto voce tut-tut over whenever I came across it in my review books, but I’ve seen the error so much lately, increasingly so, my discreet tut-tutting has developed into a bellowing ‘Grrrr’.
‘Awhile’ is an adverb (a word that modifies the meaning of an adjective, verb, or other adverb) meaning ‘for a while’.
‘A while’ is a noun meaning ‘a period of time’. So, for a while means ‘for a period of time’. Using ‘for awhile’ is in effect saying ‘for for a while’.
Try replacing ‘awhile’ with ‘for a while’:
Let’s stay here awhile OR Let’s stay here for a while
But: Let’s stay here for awhile is incorrect. This translates as Let’s stay here for for a while.
Correct: Let’s take the children to the park for a while (Let’s take the children to the park for a period of time).
Incorrect: Let’s take the children to the park for awhile. Literally translated this would read: Let’s take the children to the park for for a while.
You could also try substituting ‘awhile’ with another adverb to determine if you are using it correctly:
I walked awhile
I walked quickly/I walked slowly (but had you said ‘I walked for awhile’, then I walked for quickly makes no sense at all.)
A while can be accompanied by a preposition:
For a while, a while ago, in a while
You could not therefore say:
I visited Paris awhile ago. The literal meaning would be nonsense: I visited Paris for a while ago.
Correct: I visited Paris a while ago.
It has been a while since I visited Paris.
So, the best, virtually foolproof way to figure this out is to try replacing ‘awhile’ with ‘for a while’: if it makes no sense, it’s incorrect.
Correct: I went to see my sister for a while
Incorrect: We discussed where to plant the roses for awhile
Incorrect: We’ll be going to the movies in awhile
Incorrect: I won’t be moving house, at least not for awhile
Incorrect: Once in awhile, I treat myself to a nice big glass of red wine
Correct: The children were asleep, so I sat and down and read a book for a while
And finally…
Correct: We went to the park for a while, we played awhile, and then we went home
There. Easy, isn’t it?
Love it. Now could you do while and whilst!
Pretty much interchangeable, AC. I think Brits use ‘whilst’ more than you do in the US.
I’m Australian, so some times I do, and sometimes I don’t. 🙂
Genius! I think I’ve been doing it right, then, but maybe I’ve seen it done wrong so often lately that I’ve been sexond-guessing myself. I’ll have to think on it awhile. 😉 Thanks, Cathy!
I love it when my pupils get it right. 🙂
Great. Maybe it’s just as well I really never use ‘awhile’. 🙂
Safe mode!
Writers should have a basic understanding of the parts of speech. However, many writers don’t grasp the importance of mastering grammar and punctuation. In American English, periods and commas always go inside quotation marks. Yet a lot of writers place periods and commas outside the quotes, the way that you Brits do. I think that’s where the confusion originates. It’s challenging to be a good writer, regardless of what side of the Atlantic you live on!
Interestingly, Linda, I read quite a debate about the periods and commas in/out of quote marks…amongst you Americans (not a Brit in sight). It’s not cut and dried, it would appear. Many of you across the pond, it seems, do not like to put them outside the quote marks. To them, and I quote, it ‘just seems unnatural’.
As for me, I have simply quit using “awhile”, as it confuses me and my readers. Thanks for the interesting lesson. 😀
I like avoidance. Erases the problem completely!
Hoo Boy! I just deleted a while and awhile from my dictionary! LOL.
Coward! 😉
Excellent distinction, Cathy, thank you! And now I will edit for a while.
You should be an editor, Laurie. 😛
Yes, this IS excellent, Cathy. Thankfully, I have my uber editor, Lori Boris to spot my errors for me. She is also excellent with my alright and all rights!!
Ah yes, the alright/all rights…I feel another post coming on….
Pondering on it all for a while and will redetermine where to put my commas after quotations marks—I’m originally from the British side of the fence, but have adapted to the US style. It takes me a while to finally place my comma in its final resting place.
Well, the British way is the right way, of course…..
Of course! So I guess I should disable Autocorrect and then have the whole US world coming down on my head. Ha ha! I suffered intensely after allowing an Australian “expert” edit my book while I was visiting Sydney. The entire formatting, including page length, was changed, which led to my having to pay a US formatter. He used inDesign, with which I’m not familiar, and I lost all control of my work for ages…long story with a happy ending. I’ve published successfully, but oh, what a journey!
Autocorrect does not understand phrases. So yes, I would disable it! 🙂
Thank you for this, Cathy. I’ve actually written very strange sentences to avoid using awhile or for a while because I was uncertain of the proper usage! As always, your help is much appreciated :))
You’re most welcome!
Us Brummies think a while is a large fish that has a blowhole!
Now that really would make an interesting sentence…..