Don’t Use “While” to Mean “Although”
Dear Legal Writer, Don’t use “while” to mean “although.”
Here’s two examples showing why:
“While the stove is off, the toaster works.”
What does the writer mean, A or B?
A: “Although (=whereas) the stove is off, the toaster works.”
B: “When (=only when) the stove is off, the toaster works.”
Here’s another example: “While she’s running for VP, her work mounts.”
Which is it, A or B?
A: “Although she’s running for VP (not President), her work mounts.”
B: “At the same time she’s running for VP, her work mounts.”
As readers, unless we have more context, we simply cannot know whether the writer means A or B in the above examples.
(We may be unsure even WITH more context!)
The uncertainty arises because “while” has so many potential meanings, even when used as a conjunction (as in the above examples).
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“While” can mean:
1/ during the time that; at the same time as.
Ex.: “Nothing much changed while he was away.”
2/ as long as
Ex.: “While there’s life, there’s hope.”
3/ whereas (indicating a contrast); when on the other hand
Ex.: “One person wants out, while the other wants to fight on.”
4/ in spite of the fact that; although
Ex.: “While he’s respected, he’s not well liked.”
5/ similarly and the same time
Ex. “While John liked the film, Jim loved it.”
But out of these 5 potential meanings, only 3 + 4 are synonyms for “although.”
By contrast, the meaning of “although” is straightforward:
“Although” = “whereas” or “in spite of the fact that.”
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MY TAKE:
Although legal scholars and usage experts disagree on the extent of the problem stemming from use of “while” for “although,” the best rule is this:
Never use “while” to mean “although.” Limit “while” to its temporal meanings.
Do you think those rules are too draconian? You really want to use “while” to mean “although”?
OK.
But make sure you’re not creating a stove-off-toaster-on problem!
Amanda
#DearLegalWriter
P.S. Do you use “while” to mean “although” in legal writing?