student asking question

Is there a difference between 'meanwhile' and 'while'?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

They both can mean two things are happening at the same time. However, the difference is that "meanwhile" is an adverb that usually starts a sentence and has a comma after it. Whereas in this context, "while" would be used as a conjunction. "While" also has a couple of other meanings, such as a period of time, during a time or action, or as a contrasting point. Ex: I was watching a show while Jen was making dinner. Ex: I was watching a show. Meanwhile, Jen was making dinner. Ex: It took her a while to arrive. => period of time

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