2021-03-24
ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด W – while & whilst
แนะนำการใช้ ตามที่ส่วนใหญ่ใช้ แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจผันแปร ตาม ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง while = ‘HWAHYL’ or ‘WAHYL’
ออกเสียง whilst = ‘HWAHYLST’ or ‘WAHYLST’
Whilst = British - while
Dictionary.com
What’s The Difference Between “A While” And “Awhile”
What is the difference between a while and awhile?
Few word pairs capture the idiosyncrasies (“peculiar characteristics”)
of the English language like a while and awhile do.
Both of these terms are expressions of time,
but one is written with a space while the other is one word.
In fact, these two terms represent different parts of speech.
The two-word expression a while is a noun phrase,
consisting of the article a and the noun while
(which means “a period or intervalof time”).
The one-word awhile is an adverb
that means “for a short time or period.”
Although these definitions are similar
(and although the terms can sometimes be used interchangeably),
there are a few simple rules that can help you keep them straight.
How do you use a while and awhile correctly?
The noun phrase a while can (and often does) follow a preposition,
such as for or in.
Here’s an example: He said he would be home in a while.
The adverb awhile cannotfollow a preposition.
This is a rule that makes sense if you revisit the definition of the term
(“for a short time or period”) and drop it into a sentence:
He said he would be home in for a short time or period.
However, if we get rid of the preposition
and rewrite it as He said he would be home awhile,
the sentence works with a slightly altered meaning
(he will be home for a short time instead of
he will be home in a period of time).
How do you use while on its own?
The base wordin both of these expressions,
while,is most commonly a conjunction,
meaning “during,” “although,” or “throughout the time that.”
Here’s an example:
She ate the cookie dough while he greased the baking sheet.
While can also be a verb
meaning “to cause(time) to pass,
especiallyin some easy or pleasant manner.”
Example:
She whiled away the hours ruminating on the differences between awhile and a while
.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language,
Usage Note:
As a conjunction,
while is used to indicate that two events
are happening at the same time
(While I was preparing the hamburger patties, she sliced the onions and tomatoes),
but it can also be used to contrast two clauses in a nontemporal way
(While the "h" is silent in the word "honest,"
it is pronounced in the word "hostile").
While has been used in this nontemporal sense for hundreds of years,
and the latter sentence was judged acceptable by 75 percent of the Usage Panel in our 2012 survey.
The Panel was somewhat less accepting, however,
of this use of while in a sentence
where it could potentially be misread as having a temporal meaning
(31 percent disapproved of the sentence
She said she wanted to go to a movie, while he proposed seeing a play).
And 43 percent disapproved of a sentence
in which the two contrasting clauses are explicitly not simultaneous:
While the Tigers beat the Cubs last week,
this week the Cubs beat the Tigers.
To avoid ambiguity or an unintended suggestion of simultaneity,
choose a different conjunction, such as although or whereas.
COLLINS ENGLISH DICTIONARY
USAGE FOR WHILE
It was formerly considered incorrect
to use while to mean in spite of the fact that or whereas,
but these uses have now become acceptable
Collins COBUILD English Usage
while
1. used in time clauses
If one thing happens while another thing is happening,
the two things happen at the same time.
He stayed with me while he was looking for a new house.
While I was out she was trying to reach me on the phone.
2. 'while' in concessive clauses
While has a special use which is not related to time.
You use it to introduce a clause that contrasts
with something else that you are saying.
Miguel loved sports while Julio preferred to read a book.
While I have some sympathy for these people, I think they went too far.
3. 'a while'
A while is a period of time.
After a while, my eyes got used to the darkness.
Let's just sit down for a while.
Collins COBUILD English Usage
whilst
Whilst is a formal word which has the same meaning as 'while'.
It is used in both time clauses and concessive clauses.
Her sister had fallen whilst walking in her sleep at night.
Raspberries have a matt, spongy surface
whilst blackberries have a taut, shiny skin.
You do not use whilst in conversation,
and it is not used in American English..
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Usage Notes
‘While Away’: When the Hours Just Fly By
Where does the time go?
The word while likes to keep busy.
It's entered in the dictionary with four parts of speech.
The firstis a noun:
take off your coat and stay for a while.
There’s the conjunction,
meaning “during the time that”:
someone called while you were out.
There is an entry for a preposition,
meaning “until.”
This usage can be found in Shakespeare
(“while then, God be with you”) but is unlikely to turn up in modern English.
The fourthpart of speech for while is a verb.
Often usedwith away,
it means “to cause to pass
especially withoutboredom or in a pleasant manner”:
Of course, if these activities are of no interest,
there's no shame in whiling away the days by the resort's beautiful pool. Just be sure to bring a good book.
— Kimberly Holland, Coastal Living, 26 Sept. 2018
A trip to Mykonos town (‘Chora’) is certainly recommended for first time visitors. 180° Sunset Bar is a beautiful spot for cocktails with a view. Or you can just while away the time wandering the pretty streets of Little Venice.
— Lindsay Silberman, Town & Country, 20 Sept. 2018
Earlier this year, travelers looking to while away the time at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport could have browsed for designer brands at Clutch, Luxury Boutique or Sunglass Icon at the center of Concourse F.
— Kelly Yamanouchi, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5 Sept. 2018
While as a verb dates to at least the 17th century,
and was preceded by two other senses that fell out of use:
a transitive sense meaning “to keep (a person) occupied,”
and as part of the phrase while it, meaning “to keep up or endure.”
Perhaps because we aren’t used to seeing
words function bothas conjunctions and as verbs,
while away sometimes gets spelled as wile away:
This isn't to say that
"The Nun" has no redeeming value. Anyone who wants to wile away an hour-and-a-half with jump scares and pretty visuals could certainly do much worse, and if nothing else it does provide contemporary culture critics with an interesting insight into the minds of modern moviegoers.
— Matthew Rozsa, Salon, 22 Sept. 2018
With its folk-rock score, composed in the key of James Taylor by Schaefer and played by him and the other actors on guitars and a trio of onstage instrumentalists on violin, keyboard and drums, “Light Years” reminds you of any number of nights of easy listenin’ you might have wiled away in a coffee house or bar.
— Peter Marks, Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2018
This usage is common enough to be shown in the dictionary, and in fact has shown use in a number of classic works of literature:
Their only hope was in meeting a ship, although the gale, which had raged all night, had blown them out of their course. To this hope all clung, and wiled away the weary hours, watching the horizon and cheering one another with prophecies of speedy rescue.
— Louisa May Alcott, Jo’s Boys, 1886
'To wile away the time till your father comes,' he said,--'pray is there much robbing and murdering of seamen about the water-side now?'
— Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend, 1865
The conflationof while with wile
might be partly explained
by the existence of another verb sense of wile
meaning “to lure as if by a magic spell : entice,”
which can also be used with away:
Too much must not be expected from the flesh and blood even of John Hiram's bedesmen, and the positive promise of one hundred a year to each of the twelve old men had its way with most of them. The great Bunce was not to be wiled away, and was upheld in his orthodoxy by two adherents.
— Anthony Trollope, The Warden, 1855
One might even make a connection
to one’s hours being occupied by the lure ofsome kind of activity
(perhaps different from the one you are supposed to be doing).
You might while (or wile) away your hours reading
fun and informative articles about language on a dictionary’s website,
for example.
And really, what would be a more productive use of your time?
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Usage Notes
'Awhile' vs. 'A While'
There are rules, but who's listening?
What to Know
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 wordsago or back (a while ago/back).
The singular word "awhile"
should be usedto modify a verb (I will wait awhile)
and can usually replace any usage of "for a while."
The word awhile is an adverb meaning "for a while."
The two-wordexpression a while is the article
a plusthe noun while, which means
"a period of time" (as in"stay here for a while")
or "the timeand effort used" (as in "worth your while").
'Awhile' is typically used to modifya verb:
"I'm going to sit and read awhile."
'A while' is typically used after a preposition:
"I'm going to read for a while longer."
Loose Rules for Awhile vs A While
Most grammariansfeel that
awhile should only be used to modify a verb and
a while should be used after prepositions
or in phraseslike a while ago or a while back.
Perhaps having to wait awhile isn't an entirely bad thing.
—Liza Mundy, The Atlantic, June 2015
She was having computer trouble, she told him, and would be offline for a while.
—Mark Warren, Esquire, April 2015
At a luncheon I attended recently, a speaker shared with the audience something I had said a while ago.
—Constance C. R. White, Essence, November 2012
Living deep in the Pennsylvania woods a while back, I became familiar with the trees that shaded my house and provided fuel for the stove….
—Laurence A. Marschall, Natural History, May 2015
Broken Rules
The rulesgoverning usage of the adverb and phrase
are frequently broken, however.
In fact, some people who observe language patterns
note that
the usage of awhile after a preposition or with words like ago or back
is becoming so common that it may eventually become standard.
Consider these examples.
When the touch-me-not plant is touched, its leaves fold up. Its stem droops. After awhile, the plant goes back to normal.
—Gary Miller, National Geographic Explorer, March 2012
He said Miller was down on his luck and that he wanted to help him out for awhile.
—Elizabeth McKenzie, The Saturday Evening Post, January/February 2012
Prices were going up rapidly nine months ago, peaked awhile back, and now, we're starting to see cotton prices go down and be more stable.
—Jayne O'Donnell, USA Today, 27 June 2011
On the other side, there is frequent use of a while as an adverb.
If you are planning to stay a while, rent a covered cabana with cushioned chairs.
—Amy Bertrand, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 5 July 2015
In this case, the difficulty of deciding
what form is correctis complicated by the fact
that a number of noun phrases can function as adverbs.
Can you stay a week?
Can you stay a few minutes longer?
Can you stay a little while longer?
These adverbial noun phrases
beginning with a and a space
make it difficult to say that a while should not be used in such contexts.
It is obviousthat both awhile and a while
are in wide use in places where
some language commentators believe the opposite form belongs.
It is also obviousthat using awhile or a while
makes no great differenceto the reader.
There are, therefore, a few things you can do.
You can follow your own feel for the expression
and write it as one word when that seems right
and as two words when that seems right.
If you don't trust your own feeling for language that far,
you can use a rule of thumb based on the consensus of the handbooks:
use a while after a prepositionand before ago or back, and
use awhile in other places.
You can also substitute
the phrase "for a while" for the one-word form
in your context to help you decide.
Common Errors In English Usage Dictionary
While & whilst
Although “whilst” is a perfectly goodtraditional synonym of “while,”
in American usage it is considered
pretentious and old-fashioned.
