What's the Difference Between Awhile and A While

Few word pairs capture the idiosyncrasies of the English language as effectively as a while and awhile. Both of these terms are expressions of time, and both have been in use for over a century, but one is written with a space while the other is one word. What are the differences in meaning between the two? And what are the appropriate uses of each?

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, defined as “a period or interval of 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 prove helpful in keeping them straight.

The noun phrase a while can and often does follow a preposition, such as for or in: “He said he would be home in a while.” The adverb awhile cannot follow a preposition, a rule that makes sense if you revisit the definition of the term and drop it into a sentence such as the one above: “He said he would be home in for a short time or period.” However, if we omit the preposition and rewrite it as “He said he would be home awhile,” the sentence works with a slightly altered meaning.

The base word in both of these expressions, while, is perhaps most commonly used as a conjunction, meaning “during,” “although,” or “throughout the time that,” as in “She ate the cookie dough while he greased the baking sheet.” These senses are separate from the noun and adverbial senses discussed above. While can also be used as a verb meaning “to cause (time) to pass, especially in some easy or pleasant manner,” as in “She whiled away the hours ruminating on the differences between awhile and a while.”

http://blog.dictionary.com/word-fact-whats-the-difference-between-a-while-and-awhile/

English Language

*Grande, Venti & Trenta: What Do the Starbucks Names Literally Mean?

When you reflect on all the symbols, gestures, and phrases that bombard your everyday existence, you may find a panoply of simple words that are missing a definition. Case in point: how many times have you or a friend said “I’d like a venti latte” without pausing to consider what venti actually means?

First of all, here are the size options: tall (12 ounces), grande (16), venti (24), and trenta (31).

Let’s briefly address tall. This designation by the coffee company is considered by many to be a classic instance of corporate language manipulation. Tall sounds like small but means something close to the opposite. The result arguably encourages a consumer to think a little less about the size of his or her beverage as well as the size of the bill.

Grande is Italian for “large,” venti means “twenty,” and trenta is “thirty.” Why isn’t the 16-ounce size sedici (Italian for sixteen) instead? Perhaps because grande conjures associations with the English “grand.” Why not follow this logic and apply names that are evocative of English terms to the remaining two sizes? The less-familiar venti and trenta may help consumers forget the cost or calorie count of what they are about to drink.

* http://blog.dictionary.com/starbucks-trenta/

English Language

Why Is the Biggest Football Game of the Year Called a Bowl?

It’s hard to miss that pinnacle of American football, the Super Bowl. You’ve seen the phrase so many times that the words likely have become invisible. Rub your eyes and take a fresh look. What exactly does the bowl refer to?

Bowl is the word used to describe the series of post-season games played by college leagues. The term doesn’t have anything to do with breakfast cereal or competitive bowling, but references the scooped-out shape of most football stadiums.

The first bowl-shaped stadium was the Yale Bowl, built in 1914. The design allowed seating on all sides of the stadium, meaning more observers could fit inside. The design was repeated for the building of the Rose Bowl Stadium, home of the Tournament of Roses Bowl, called the Rose Bowl after 1923.

The word bowl is an old one, with recognizable variations going back to Proto-Indo-European with bhel meaning “rounded or swollen.” Proto-Germanic bul was a rounded vessel, leading to the Old English bolla, a pot, bowl or cup.

The word stadium comes from the Greek stade, which referred to a length about an eighth of a mile long. During the ancient Olympic games, a stade-long race was held, and eventually the name was used to refer to the lengt, the footrace, as well as the place where the footrace was held. The suffix –ium modifies the noun stade by indicating that something is bigger than the usual. Similar examples include emporium and auditorium. With seating capacities at football stadiums reaching upwards 100,000 people, the word accurately captures the larger than life quality of a stadium game.

*http://blog.dictionary.com/super-bowl/