---
title: awhile — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «awhile» in the school dictionary: Awhile means for a short time: wait awhile. After a word like «after» or «for», we write «a while» as two words. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# awhile

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** we, he, priest, they · **What happens:** mean, wait, write, begin, totter, reflect

<!-- .vabout -->
«awhile» in the school dictionary: its meaning for a pupil and its 3 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [awhile in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/awhile.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Awhile means for a short time: wait awhile. After a word like «after» or «for», we write «a while» as two words.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Awhile means for a short time: wait awhile.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:awhile:m1:1
# text = Awhile means for a short time: wait awhile.
1	Awhile	awhile	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	short	short	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	8	punct	_	_
8	wait	wait	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	conj	_	_
9	awhile	awhile	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present |  |  |  |  | time | awhile *property* | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **wait** | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | awhile *property* | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* After a word like «after» or «for», we write «a while» as two words.

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:awhile:m1:2
# text = After a word like «after» or «for», we write «a while» as two words.
1	After	after	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obl	_	_
4	like	like	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	after	after	ADP	IN	_	3	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	6	punct	_	_
8	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
9	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
13	we	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	_
14	write	write	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
15	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	17	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	while	while	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	17	punct	_	_
19	as	as	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
20	two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	21	nummod	_	_
21	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	14	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **write** | present | we |  |  |  | after a word; while | as two words | vn create-26.4-1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Agent as word=Attribute |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
After awhile he begins to totter.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:awhile:x1:1
# text = After awhile he begins to totter.
1	After	after	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	awhile	awhile	ADV	RB	_	4	obl	_	_
3	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	begins	begin	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	totter	totter	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **begin** | present | he |  |  |  |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 2 | **totter** | to-infinitive | he *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn body\_internal\_motion-49.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The priest reflected awhile; then he replied.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:awhile:x2:1
# text = The priest reflected awhile; then he replied.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	priest	priest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	reflected	reflect	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	awhile	awhile	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	8	punct	_	_
6	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	8	advmod	_	_
7	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	_
8	replied	reply	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reflect** | past | the priest |  |  |  |  | awhile *property* | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **reply** *speech: assert* | past | priest |  |  |  | then |  | vn respond-113 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
After talking awhile, they lay down to sleep.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:awhile:x3:1
# text = After talking awhile, they lay down to sleep.
1	After	after	SCONJ	IN	_	2	mark	_	_
2	talking	talk	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	6	advcl	_	_
3	awhile	awhile	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
5	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
6	lay	lay	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	down	down	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	sleep	sleep	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **talk** | gerund | they *not said here* |  |  |  |  | awhile *property* | vn talk-37.5 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **lay down** | present | they |  |  |  |  | down *property* | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **sleep** | to-infinitive | they *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn snooze-40.4-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

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**Text:** the school dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

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