student asking question

Can I replace "a moment" with "a while"?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

No, you couldn't! It would sound a bit awkward. "A moment" is a brief amount of time, whereas "a while" is an uncertain amount of time, usually longer than a moment. Ex: Just a moment. I need to get my jacket then we can leave. Ex: I'll need a while to get ready for the party. => a longer amount of time = I'll need a moment to get ready for the party. => shorter amount of time Ex: The food will take a while, so let's go get a snack.

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