Question
Aggiornato il
21 lug 2016
- Cinese tradizionale (Taiwan)
-
Inglese (Stati Uniti)
Domande Stati Uniti
what 's the difference between when and while exactly?
what 's the difference between when and while exactly?
Risposte
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- Paese o regione Canada
'when' refers to a particular event or moment in time.
Example: "When I arrived at work, I noticed the window was broken."
'while' refers to something happening throughout (over the duration of) an event or period of time.
Example: "While I was cooking breakfast, Julia was getting ready for school"
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- Paese o regione Taiwan
it's a bit of abstract. if it's right 'when' is used in past tense and 'while' is used in progressive tense.
- Paese o regione Taiwan
若你想強調某件事情發生時,另外一件事情也同時發生或已在進行中的話,則會使用while, 例如: While 我跟老婆在吃飯時,小三竟然打電話給我。 使用when 則強調某個時間狀況下,會發生或已發生的事情。例如: When 爸爸在家時,我就不能打電動。
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- Paese o regione Canada
@ChenPinJen – No, not exactly. These are other examples:
"I was watching TV when the phone started ringing."
"When Emily was playing the piano, an alarm started beeping."
"He heard someone knocking on his door when he was cooking dinner."
"The dogs howled while Emily played the piano."
"Julia went to the bathroom while I talked to David."
"While I went to the store, Susan cooked dinner."
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- Paese o regione Taiwan
@pythonpoole: Ok. I get it. It depends on the 'moment' or the 'duration' you want to emphasize right? So, is there any strict pattern you can't misuse two words? Because I can use either if I want.
- Paese o regione Canada
In some cases it doesn't matter which word you use, but in other cases it sounds strange or unnatural if you use the wrong word.
Basically, if you're referring to something that happens over the entire duration of an event or over a long period of time, then you should use 'while'.
If you are referring to a particular moment in time or a brief/sudden event, then generally you should use 'when'.
The word you choose can also change the implied meaning of the sentence.
Example:
"I like to read the newspaper when I come home from work" (after I arrive home, I like to read the newspaper)
"I like to read the newspaper while I come home from work" (during my travel home [like on the bus or train], I like to read the newspaper)
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- Paese o regione Taiwan
Ok. I get it. Thank you for your distinct explanation.
Utente eliminato
they are similar but when means around that time
and while means simultaneously or exactly at that time.
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