My mother almost consistently uses "while" when she means "until", and vice versa. (This is because in her native language, those are the same word.) Obviously, I can't simply tell her, "whichever word you were about to say, choose the other one", because that would just make her second-guess herself all the time, even when she happened to choose the correct word in the first place (see above about almost consistently). What I need is a mnemonic or other device that will unequivocally help her determine the right word to use in a given situation.
Does anyone here teach English to native speakers who encounter this issue? What device or trick can you suggest for keeping these two words straight?
Best Answer
What about the concise, memorable, and conveniently alliterative expression WHILE YOU WAIT, which is sometimes seen on business signs?
If someone can remember that three-word phrase (and the pictures I've added might help someone do just that), then it might be easier for them to remember how while would be the word that means "during some time interval."
Once you get one half of a confusing pair straight in your mind, the other half pretty much falls into place by default. But if you wanted something more, you could simply imagine the business owner saying: