Is it a while ago or a while back?
Awhile is an adverb that means “for a while,” whereas “while” is a noun meaning “a period of time.” Generally, the two-word form “a while” should be used when following a preposition (“I will read for a while”), or with the words ago or back (“a while ago/back”).
What is the meaning of a while ago?
a while ago means some time ago. The period of time we’re talking about can be a day, a week, a couple of months or, possibly, even a couple of years. It is always relative to the situation in which this expression is used.
How long ago is a while back?
Going a little further, “a while back” would indicate the potential of occurring up to 8 months in the past. Some other popular descriptions are “a minute” meaning 3 weeks length with “a hot minute” lasting an additional week for a total of 4 weeks.
How do you say a while back?
a while back
- already.
- earlier.
- heretofore.
- once.
- erstwhile.
- aforetime.
- anciently.
- at one time.
Is being a while correct?
“It’s” is a contraction. In English, contractions shorten certain combinations of words. In this case, “it’s” is a shortened form of “it has.” “It’s been a while” is only correct when the apostrophe is included.
How do you use awhile in a sentence?
Examples of awhile in a Sentence I’m going to sit and rest awhile. The rumor had been around awhile.
What is in a while?
Definition of in a while Also, after a while. After a period of time, usually a moderately short time. For example, Go ahead, I’ll be along in a while, or After a while we turned off the television and went for a walk. [ c. 1300]
Is it once in awhile or a while?
Reminder: “Every once in a while” is the proper form of this expression—not “every once and a while,” not “every once in awhile.”
Is a while or awhile correct?
Awhile is an adverb which means “for a period of time.” A while is a noun phrase which means “a period of time.”
How do you use a while and awhile in a sentence?
The Quick and Dirty Tip is that “awhile” and “a while” both describe a vague length of time, but you use the one-word version when you need an adverb and the two-word version when you need a noun. To tell the difference, you can test your sentence with other nouns and adverbs.
Which is correct for a while or in a while?
Sure. “Awhile” means a period of time. So we use “for a while” and “in a while” quite differently. “For a while” is used when we’re talking about a duration of time.
What is the difference between a while and a while?
Is it took awhile or a while?
take awhile (correct answer: take a while). It is true that either an adverb or an object can follow a verb. But the adverb awhile means for a while, which clearly should not follow take (compare stay awhile, which survives expansion to stay for a while). It took awhile.
How do you use a while?
You use all the while in order to say that something happens continually or that it happens throughout the time when something else is happening. All the while the people at the next table watched me eat.
Is it correct to say once a while?
If something happens once in a while, it happens sometimes, but not very often.
Is it’s been a while correct?
How do you use it’s a while in a sentence?
“It’s been a while since Joshua wandered in the wilderness…” “And it’s been a while since I’ve experienced somebody doing it so recently and so publicly.” “It’s been a while now since the ruling.” “… and it’s been a while since you could look around the world and see that every place is going to be green…”
Is it correct to say in a while?
So the literal meaning of “in a while” is within the limits of a short or moderate time. And “after” in reference to time means “subsequent to, following the interval of, at the conclusion of (a period of time),” the OED says. So “after a while” literally means following a short or moderate time.
How do you use while and while in a sentence?
If we have two actions, of which one is single and the other continuous, things can get complicated. We can use either when or while if the subordinating conjunction (when or while) comes before the continuous action. Ex. 1 He called when I was sleeping. or He called while I was sleeping.
Is it been a while or been awhile?
What is the difference between a while and a while ago?
Awhile is an adverb that means “for a while,” whereas “while” is a noun meaning “a period of time.”. Generally, you should use the two word form, “a while,” when following a preposition (I will read for a while), or with the words ago or back (a while ago/back). The singular word “awhile” should be used to modify a verb (I will wait awhile)
What is another word for a while back?
other words for a while back. already. earlier. heretofore. once. erstwhile. aforetime. anciently. at one time.
Is it after a while or for a while?
Something that happened a long time ago might have happened a while ago. If something happens after a period of time, you say it happened after a while. You’ve probably noticed that none of these phrases use awhile. That’s because awhile can only be used instead of the phrase for a while, and that’s it.
What is the meaning of the song a while?
A While. Awhile is an adverb which means “for a period of time.”. A while is a noun phrase which means “a period of time.”. Back in 2001, the American nu-metal band Staind released the song “It’s Been Awhile” as a single from their album Break the Cycle.