Although vs. while

This can be a tough grammar tip to remember. Although means "in spite of the fact that." So you could say, "Although Katie is from Florida, she likes cold weather." On the other hand, while means "at the same time." For example, "While I read, the dog napped."

To throw a monkey wrench into the previous rule, some dictionaries (including the Oxford English Dictionary) do say it's acceptable to use while to mean although. Just make sure doing so doesn't cause confusion. For example, if you say, "While the cat is white, the dog is black." People wouldn't know if you were contrasting the animals' colors or saying that the cat is only white when the dog is black.

Thanks to Cheryl Johnson in the Office of Student Finance (OSF) for suggesting this grammar tip!