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ESL Medium Quiz - Good Reason - Conjunctions (Questions)

The word “while” links ideas in a sentence. Practise using it to show two things happening together, or to show a contrast between two ideas.

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Fascinating Fact

While can connect two actions happening at the same time. It can suggest the actions go well together, or that they clash.

In ESL Medium, you learn how connectors like “while” help sentences flow. You can use “while” to talk about time, or to compare two ideas clearly.

Key Terms

Connector: A word that joins two parts of a sentence to show how they are linked.
Time clause: A part of a sentence that tells when something happens, often starting with a word like “while”.
Contrast: A clear difference between two ideas, shown in one sentence.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

How do you use “while” in a sentence?

You can use “while” to show two things happening at the same time, such as “I listened to music while I cleaned”. It can also show contrast, like “I like tea, while my brother likes coffee”.

Does “while” mean the same as “when”?

“While” often suggests something continues over a period of time, but “when” can be a single moment. For example, “while I was walking” sounds longer than “when I arrived”.

Where does the comma go with “while”?

If the “while” part comes first, a comma is often used, like “While I was cooking, the phone rang”. If it comes second, you usually do not need a comma.

Try These Related Quizzes

1.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
Mr Roberts will not be coming into the office for the rest of this week ... ... he has a bad cold.

[ ]	... although ...
[ ]	... because ...
[ ]	... despite ...
[ ]	... but ...

2.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
' ... ... the sun is shining, the weather does not feel particularly warm.'

[ ]	But ...
[ ]	While ...
[ ]	Although ...
[ ]	Because ...

3.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
'You cannot really concentrate on your work if you are doing it ... ... texting someone on your phone or I-pad'.

[ ]	... before ...
[ ]	... during ...
[ ]	... while ...
[ ]	... despite ...

4.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
'We never did manage to find that country pub you recommended, ... ... the sketch-map you drew for us.'

[ ]	... although ...
[ ]	... despite ...
[ ]	... because ...
[ ]	... besides ...

5.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
' ... ... you start the car, please make sure you check the condition of the tyres and their pressure.'

[ ]	When ...
[ ]	Before ...
[ ]	Because ...
[ ]	... Since ...

6.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
' ... ... he had finished the beer, he started on the wine.'

[ ]	Before ...
[ ]	After ...
[ ]	Following ...
[ ]	Despite ...

7.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
'I wouldn't go anywhere near that side of the town ... ... you value your personal safety.'

[ ]	... if ...
[ ]	... when ...
[ ]	... after ...
[ ]	... where ...

8.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
'We've heard nothing further from him ... ... he went home to Hong Kong.'

[ ]	... because ...
[ ]	... while ...
[ ]	... although ...
[ ]	... since ...

9.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
'These days it can be quite hard to spend time beyond the reach of other people ~ by phone and e-mail ~ ... ... you travel in the world.'

[ ]	... because ...
[ ]	... although ...
[ ]	... wherever ...
[ ]	... in spite of ...

10.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
... ... this is the final Question of the Quiz, we hope you will continue to enjoy spotting, and making your own, compound sentences ~ now that you know how.

[ ]	Although ...
[ ]	Despite ...
[ ]	Because ...
[ ]	As ...

ESL Medium Quiz - Good Reason - Conjunctions (Answers)

1.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
Mr Roberts will not be coming into the office for the rest of this week ... ... he has a bad cold.

[ ]	... although ...
[x]	... because ...
[ ]	... despite ...
[ ]	... but ...

The cold is the reason for his absence; we could have made this link with 'since' or 'as', or (less likely) 'while'.

2.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
' ... ... the sun is shining, the weather does not feel particularly warm.'

[ ]	But ...
[ ]	While ...
[x]	Although ...
[ ]	Because ...

The two facts we are given seem to contradict one another, so 'although' is needed here.

3.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
'You cannot really concentrate on your work if you are doing it ... ... texting someone on your phone or I-pad'.

[ ]	... before ...
[ ]	... during ...
[x]	... while ...
[ ]	... despite ...

'Doing one thing while doing another' may suggest that they go well together; or, as in this case, that they do not. (One might enjoy refreshments while watching a cricket match, for instance.)
'During' should be followed by a noun (or noun-group, or pronoun) rather than a full clause containing a verb.

4.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
'We never did manage to find that country pub you recommended, ... ... the sketch-map you drew for us.'

[ ]	... although ...
[x]	... despite ...
[ ]	... because ...
[ ]	... besides ...

We could also say 'in spite of' ; but either version should only be followed by a noun or noun-phrase, rather than a full clause.

5.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
' ... ... you start the car, please make sure you check the condition of the tyres and their pressure.'

[ ]	When ...
[x]	Before ...
[ ]	Because ...
[ ]	... Since ...

The 'before ... ' clause itself can come on the front or the back of the sentence. In such a case as this, where you are effectively warning people, it makes sense to define the circumstances first ~ 'before' you go on to consider what may follow!

6.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
' ... ... he had finished the beer, he started on the wine.'

[ ]	Before ...
[x]	After ...
[ ]	Following ...
[ ]	Despite ...

'When' or 'once' would have been other ways to start this sentence in a similar sense.
An 'after ...' (or similar) clause can also go on the back of a sentence, if it makes just as good sense to put it there.

7.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
'I wouldn't go anywhere near that side of the town ... ... you value your personal safety.'

[x]	... if ...
[ ]	... when ...
[ ]	... after ...
[ ]	... where ...

In this case the shortest Answer made the clearest sense!
'While' might have been another possible word here, but it carries a slight sense that some other time may come when people are not so worried about keeping safe.

8.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
'We've heard nothing further from him ... ... he went home to Hong Kong.'

[ ]	... because ...
[ ]	... while ...
[ ]	... although ...
[x]	... since ...

Answers 1 or 3 might make sense in certain circumstances (1: he has not been in contact because he is not in Europe any more; 2: he promised us he would make contact from the Far East, but for some reason he has not managed to do it) ... but No.4 is the most likely. It suggests that some time has passed, but you are still expecting him to make contact.

9.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
'These days it can be quite hard to spend time beyond the reach of other people ~ by phone and e-mail ~ ... ... you travel in the world.'

[ ]	... because ...
[ ]	... although ...
[x]	... wherever ...
[ ]	... in spite of ...

This is not quite the same type of 'join' as most of the others, but it seemed to us to belong comfortably in this context.

10.

Pick the answer that offers the most clear, sensible and accurate English.
... ... this is the final Question of the Quiz, we hope you will continue to enjoy spotting, and making your own, compound sentences ~ now that you know how.

[x]	Although ...
[ ]	Despite ...
[ ]	Because ...
[ ]	As ...

Please don't let the end of the Quiz stop you discovering, and using, these!