Learn English – While I was there

past-tensetime

Is It correct to say: "While I was there" to make reference not to a place by a organization, like

I joined the army, "while I was there" ?

I was in a non for profit organization called ABC, while I was in ABC I did communitary work

Best Answer

Under some circumstances, you can use "while I was there... " to describe what you did while you worked for an organization, but it depends on the organization and the context whether it sounds OK.

First, the context: while relates to a period of time. Of the following examples, the first two are OK, because the preceding sentence states or implies that a period of time is involved. The third is not so good because it only specifies a start, and the fourth is not good at all because it does not say anything at all about time.

I worked for worked for Monsanto about ten years ago. While I was there, I....

I worked for worked for Monsanto between 2005 and 2009. While I was there, I....

I joined Monsanto in 2005. While I was there, I...

I joined Monsanto. While I was there, I...

Concerning the organization: companies (even multinationals like Monsanto) seem to imply a place, so it sounds natural to use there. Organizations like UNICEF or the army do not imply a place, so there do not sound right. It would be better to say:

While I was with UNICEF...

While I was in the army...

Related Topic