all the while

IPA/ˈɔːl ðə wˈaɪl/
IPA/ˈɔːl ðə wˈaɪl/

all the while — 慣用語

1. during the whole period being talked about, often while another action, feeling,

1.慣用語B2
釋義

一直；始終

在那整段時間裡

during the whole period being talked about, often while another action, feeling, or thought continues in the background

例句

Mina smiled at the guests and worried about her missing bag all the while.

Mina 對客人微笑時，心裡一直擔心著不見的包包。

all the while after a main clause

The twins kept whispering all the while as their father fixed the flat tire.

雙胞胎在爸爸修理爆胎時，一直低聲說個不停。

all the while during another ongoing event

同義詞
  • the whole time

    more everyday and slightly less literary

  • throughout

    more formal and usually followed by a noun phrase

  • all along

    often stresses that something was true during the entire period, especially if it was hidden

文法句型

[main clause] all the while

[main clause], all the while + -ing

[main clause], all the while + clause

用法筆記

Often adds what continued in the background through the same period. It is common when one action was visible, but a second action, thought, or feeling carried on at the same time.

常見錯誤

❌I was nervous in all the while.
✅I was nervous all the while.
💡the idiom does not take a preposition before it.
❌She smiled all while the doctor spoke.
✅She smiled all the while the doctor spoke.
💡the fixed form includes 'the'.