During and while have similarity in meaning but they are different in use. During means throughout the course of (a period of time). While means at the time as. They are not interchangeable. Let’s see the difference.
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During
We use during to say when something happens. During is followed by nouns. Example : during our holiday, during the meeting, during the war, etc. Let’s see the following examples.
- I fell asleep during the play.
- I met a beautiful girl during our holiday.
- A lot of soldier died during the war.
- During the day, bats sleep but they look for food during the night.
- What were you doing during the party last night?
While
We use while to say when something happens. While is followed by a clause ( Subject + Predicate ). Let’s see the following examples.
- I fell asleep while the play was going on.
- I met a beautiful girl while we were on holiday.
- The students looked bored while they were studying English.
- While your mother was sleeping, what were you doing last night?
- My father was checking his WhatsApp while my mother was watching YouTube.
During And While Exercise
Exercise I
In this exercise you have to complete the sentences with during or while.
- The phone rang …. we were having dinner last night.
- The baby fell asleep ….the meal.
- George read a lot of books …….he was ill.
- The naughty boys were making noise …. the teacher was speaking.
- …. we were in Paris, we stayed in a very comfortable hotel.
- Someone rang the bell …. we were sleeping.
- My father was painting the house … his day-off.
- Please don’t be noisy … the baby is sleeping.
- His leg suddenly began to hurt… the football match.
- I saw the accident … I was waiting for the bus.
Exercise II
Answer the questions using during or while.
- When do people generally work? (during)
- When do they usually have lunch? (during)
- When do they usually watch TV? (while)
- When do they share their days and concerns? (while)
- When do they usually sleep? (during)
Answers of During And While Exercises
Exercise I
- The phone rang while we were having dinner last night.
- The baby fell asleep during the meal.
- George read a lot of books while he was ill.
- The naughty boys were making noise while the teacher was speaking.
- While we were in Paris, we stayed in a very comfortable hotel.
- Someone rang the bell while we were sleeping.
- My father was painting the house during his day-off.
- Please don’t be noisy while the baby is sleeping.
- His leg suddenly began to hurt during the football match.
- I saw the accident while I was waiting for the bus.
Exercise II
- People generally work during the day.
- They usually have lunch during their break.
- They usually watch TV while they are at home.
- They share their days and concerns while they have dinner.
- They usually sleep during the night.
Other Exercises
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