Meanwhile And While waiting can be used interchangeably, but While waiting is used more often as a noun, as in “in the meantime.” Meanwhile often used as an adverb, as in “in the meantime, we’ll order lunch.”
There are plenty of words to learn on other pages of this site, but in the meantime, let’s talk about a pair of words you probably know very well. Or should I say “in the meantime, let’s talk…”? Or maybe I should say “in the meantime, let’s talk…”?
Huh. Meanwhile And While waiting: are they the same? What problem do you use?
Both ‘time to wait’ and ‘while time’ have been used as adverbs, as in “while/while waiting, at the farm…,” since the late 1500s.
Do not be afraid. We are here to give you details:
Usage of While and Meantime
While waiting And meanwhile both have been used as nouns in the prepositional phrase “while/while” since the 1300s—that is, from their lexical infancy. (Both also appear in other phrases, like “while/while waiting.”) Both are used as adverbs, as in “while/while on the farm… ,” since the late 1500s. They have been interchangeable for most of their long history. But that doesn’t mean each person doesn’t have their favorite territory.
While waiting is a word commonly used as a noun (that is, as the object of a preposition in phrases such as “in the meantime” and “in the meantime.”):
The company will be put up for auction…. In the meantime, the company will use two loans… to help keep the lights running. — Maya Kosoff, Vanity FairJune 10, 2016
Most of the time While waiting seen in the published, edited text, it is precisely in that context: as a noun, in the phrase “in the meantime.” However, it is not difficult to find examples where While waiting used as an adverb:
Meanwhile, the Port Authority is asking the FAA for permission to collect an additional $110 million in passenger fees to pay for preliminary construction. — Seth Barron, City Magazine.Winter 2016
Shakespeare likes to use While waiting in this way, as King Lear in the 1608 play of the same name said, “In the meantime, we shall manifest our dark purpose.”
But the usual choice for the role of the adverb is meanwhile:
He performs his signature stunt multiple times with formidable skill, all in front of the camera without any cuts. Meanwhile, just a few feet away, a young woman paced the parking lot, talking on her cell phone. — Joe Blevins, AV ClubJuly 14, 2016
But, again, it’s not hard to find atypical examples:
But since satellite trackers still have another year of battery life left, the team hopes to learn a lot more in the coming months. In the meantime, enjoy some adorable photos of whale sharks from research…. – Maddie Stone, GizmodoJune 27, 2016
“Meanwhile” has been accused of being “inhomogeneous” (i.e. it sounds weird), but it’s not so monotonous that native speakers instinctively avoid it. If you use it, there’s no reason you should stop.
But if you want to use this pair of words the way they are most commonly used and need help remembering which words happen where, you can think of this sentence:
In the amount of time it takes to say “in the meantime”, you can also say “in the meantime”.
But really, the most effective way to handle this pairing is to use whatever you like wherever you like.
Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn
