Adverb/Noun/Preposition

[Roselin]

1) The UP TRAIN is late.

Is up here used as a noun?

2) He told us all about the battle.

Is about here used as a prepostion?

3) Let us move on.

Is on used here as an adverb?

4) Sit down and rest a while.

Is a while here used as an adverb?

[Verona_82]

Hi Roselin.
I'm not a teacher.

I think
1) up - an adjective
2) about - a preposition
3) I guess 'on' is an adverb here.
4) a while - a noun.

[tipu s]

Hi Roselin.
I'm not a teacher.

I think
1) up - an adjective
2) about - a preposition
3) I guess 'on' is an adverb here.
4) a while - a noun.

NOT A TEACHER
Well, I think ' a while' is an adverb because it is modifying the verb 'rest'

[TheParser]

NOT A TEACHER
Well, I think ' a while' is an adverb because it is modifying the verb 'rest'

***** A NON-TEACHER's COMMENT *****


(1) This is something that also confuses native speakers (writers).

(2) Both you and Verona are correct. Congratulations!!!

(3) awhile (one word) = adverb:

Lie down awhile, and get some sleep.

(4) a while = adjective/determiner + noun:

Lie down a while./ Lie down for a while.

Full credit for these examples go to The Columbia Guide to

Standard American English, edited by Mr. Kenneth G. Wilson.


Respectfully yours,


James

[freezeframe]

(2) Both you and Verona are correct. Congratulations!!!

They can't both be correct. A word has one function in a sentence. Even if something can be a verb or a noun, it is one or the other in any particular sentence, not both.

a while in the OP's sentence is a noun

[freezeframe]

Even though I don't care either way about whether awhile is a solecism or not, I did find this interesting:

Usage Discussion of AWHILE

Although considered a solecism by many commentators, awhile, like several other adverbs of time and place, is often used as the object of a preposition

<for awhile there is a silence — Lord Dunsany>.

Awhile - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary