Ever wondered about the difference between awhile and a while? If you're like most people, you haven't because you always just use awhile. But there's good news. I'm here to present you with another grammar tip you probably won't remember or use! I'm sure you're as excited as I am.
The rules for awhile and a while are pretty simple as long as you don't think about them too much.
A while is an amount of time; therefore, it's a noun.
Awhile is an adverb.
While we all know the parts of speech, this still may not be a very practical explanation. So here's the quick and dirty version:
Awhile is used after a verb.
A while is used after for or another word like that.
Observe:
I listened to One Direction for a while, but then I realized it was crap and turned it off.
They dated awhile, even though she knew he was trouble when he walked in.
See? One word after a verb, two words after for.
Yes, it's nitpicky. It's grammar. That's kind of its thing.
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