when & while

"When" and "While" are two must know words to

have in every vocabulary.

When is used with a specific past action.

While is used with a duration of time.

Sometimes a sentence can use "when" or "while"

and the choice on using it simply depends on if you
want you talk about a specific action or a duration.
 Parts of Speech

'When' and 'while' are used to connect clauses.

'When' is a conjunction. It is classified as
subordinating conjunctions.

'While' is a conjunctive adverb.

•I helped my mother around the house when I was

home.

•I was writing my essay while I talked to Larry on the

phone.
 Parts of Speech

'While' can be used as a noun. Note: 'while' cannot

be used alone. It is accompanied by 'in a...,' 'once in
a...,' 'for a...,' and 'worth your....' In this case, 'while' is
often used to indicate time.

•You can wait here for a while.

•I was hoping I could see you again in a while.

•He just stopped there for a long while.

 Indicating Time

'When' and 'while' are both used to show two actions

that are happening at the same time. However, there
is a small distinction:

'When' is used to express two single actions that

happen simultaneously.

'While' is used to express two continuous actions that

happen simultaneously.
 Indicating Time

If you pay close attention, you can see that 'when'

and 'while' both express a condition and its results.

•She was mad at me when I broke her favorite photo

frame.

•I was putting away the dishes while my friend was

doing the laundry.
What would happen if we have two actions, but one is
single action and the other is continuous. In this case,
we can use both, when and while:

•He knocked on the door when I was sleeping.

•He knocked on the door while I was sleeping.

Now, if the subordinating conjunction is placed before

the single action, we must use 'when.'

•I was sleeping when he knocked on the door.

•I was sleeping while he knocked on the door.