DURING and WHILE: What’s the Difference Between During vs While

What is the Difference Between During and While in English?

During and While

During and While are similar in meaning (function), but they are used different grammatically.

How to Use During

During is a preposition which is used before an activity to indicate that a parallel action is happening at the same time as that activity

• What did you discuss during dinner?

During is followed by a noun, which often represents an activity (During + noun)

• We had to call the doctor during the night.

Incorrect: She slept during watching the movie.

Correct: She slept during the movie.

How to Use While

While is a conjunction which is used to refer to a background period of time in which another activity happened

• They all took notes while the professor gave the lecture.

While is followed by a clause (While + subject + verb…)

• I met my wife while I was at university.

Incorrect: She ate while the movie.

Correct: She ate while she was watching the movie.

During vs. While | Picture