During and while

[Kat]

Hello everybody, I have problem with words DURING and WHILE. I don't know : Must I use DURING or WHILE?
I hope you can help me to solve this problem.
Thank you in advance.
Kat.

[Alan]

Hi Kat,

Thanks for using the Forum. The simple answer to your question is that 'during' is a preposition and 'while' is usually a conjunction. Let me give you some examples:

During the afternoon (this means at some time in the afternoon) we decided to stop work and have a break.

While (at the same time as/when) we were taking a break, the others continued working.

Hope this helps

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Word Story: Health

[Kat]

Hello Alan, thank you for your help. It is really fantastic to get fast answer from English teacher.
Thank you for your time.
Kat