A while, awhile.Awhile an adverb, modi es verbs.Awhile a compound of an article and a noun, cannot modify verbs but can be the object of prepositions The law will stand awhile, which means that in awhile it might be repealed See modifier. Awhile. See a while. Awkwardness. There is no clear definition of awkwardness It is simply something felt or noticed by a writer or audience in speech or writing. If you sense it in your work, look for some common symptoms Subject, verb, and subject complement are far apart or not clearly linked together Clauses do not tie neatly and clearly together because they are too long or too wordy The antecedents of modifiers or pronounsare unclear, remote, or not linked carefully and clearly to each other. Many other mistakes contribute to awkwardness. Try reading sentences aloud to listen for mistakes, then try other versions of sentences to see if they sound and work better. See editing and revision.