Abstract

This paper attempts to study the usage of the words ‘await’ and ‘wait (for)’ from the viewpoint of structure and meaning. The research has been conducted mostly from the descriptive angle rather than from the prescriptive.
Information obtained through Internet forums and from native-speaker informants shows great differences in usage depending on the individuals who use such words in particular places and situations.
Therefore, it is considered that those words should be used very carefully or not at all by non-native speakers of English.