#ENGTRIVIA: ‘TO WAIT’ AND ‘TO AWAIT’

“I have been …-ing for two hours.”
Which word is the correct one to fill the blank, fellas? ‘Wait’ or ‘await’?

“I’m …-ing your response.”
‘Wait’ or ‘await’?

On this article, we are going to discuss the difference between ‘to wait’ and ‘to await’.

Essentially, ‘to await’ goes in line with ‘to wait for’. It requires an object. However, the object is often an inanimate object (Indonesian: benda mati).
For example, we can say:
“I’m awaiting a letter from my family.”
But we cannot say:
“I’m awaiting you.”

Meanwhile, it’s correct to say:
“I’m waiting for a letter from my family.”
Or:
“I’m waiting for you.”

You might be thinking, “But, isn’t the first example use ‘waiting for’?”

Keep in mind that the phrasal verb ‘to wait for’ can also be used to indicate the duration. So, ‘waiting for two hours’ doesn’t necessarily signify we are expecting those two hours to come.

Another difference is that ‘to await’ is considered more formal than ‘to wait for.’ For example, at the end of our work-related email, we could write, “I’m awaiting your response.” It has the same formality as, “I’m looking forward to hearing from you.”

The last but not least, we often find ‘to wait’ paired with other verbs in the same sentence.
Example:
“I’m waiting in line to board the plane now.”
There is the verb ‘to board’ aside of ‘to wait.’

Compiled by @alicesaraswati for @EnglishTips4U on Monday, 21 December 2020.