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Difference between waiting and awaiting



 
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ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
"the instructions" vs. "instructions" | Contributed to overall revenue
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Difference between waiting and awaiting #1 (permalink) Mon Jun 26, 2006 6:32 am   Difference between waiting and awaiting
 

Dear Teachers,

Could you please explain the difference between waiting and awaiting in the context of the following sentences:

1. I am waiting to receive your reply at the earliest.
2. I am awaiting to receive your reply at the earliest.

Thanks
Riazuddin
New Member


Joined: 22 Jun 2006
Posts: 9

Difference between waiting and awaiting #2 (permalink) Mon Jun 26, 2006 7:38 am   Difference between waiting and awaiting
 

Dear Riaz (I welcome myself back on the forum Very Happy )

Await is a formal word and mostly used with abstract objects. Unlike wait, it does not take the preposition for..

1- We are still awaiting instructions.
2- Back then, I was awaiting my result.

Tom

Ps: Thank you, Amy and Conchita,for such gigantic support.
Tom
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 30 May 2006
Posts: 2061

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Difference between waiting and awaiting #3 (permalink) Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:59 am   Difference between waiting and awaiting
 

Hi riazuddin

I've got an additional comment about your sentences.

The phrase "at the earliest" doesn't work in this context. I assume you were thinking of the phrase "at your earliest convenience" which is a more formal way to say "as soon as possible" (ASAP). For example:

Please reply at your earliest convenience.

To make the above sentence more urgent, you can add the word "possible":

Please reply at your earliest possible convenience.

Also, rather than using "wait" in a sentence like this, you will often find the verb "look forward to". Using the word "wait" can sound impatient and therefore could also sound rude.

Examples:
We look forward to receiving a reply at your earliest convenience.

We are looking forward to a fast reply.

Amy

PS
We have all been awating Tom's return to the forum.
Welcome back, stranger. Very Happy
Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 8265
Location: USA

Difference between waiting and awaiting #4 (permalink) Mon Jun 26, 2006 13:01 pm   Difference between waiting and awaiting
 

Yankee wrote:
PS
We have all been awating Tom's return to the forum.
Welcome back, stranger. Very Happy

Welcome back from me, too, Tom Smile . We had come to expect (and appreciate!) your daily presence in the forum and it felt strange without you!
Conchita
Language Coach


Joined: 26 Dec 2005
Posts: 2826
Location: Madrid, Spain

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