How can I distinguish “lonely” from “lonesome”. And By the way I’d like to know when should I use “for the time being” and “for a while”? are there any differences?
Generally, “lonely” and “lonesome” mean the same thing, so you can use them in the same situations. If you look the two words up in a monolingual English dictionary, you’ll find that they are used to define each other. There is very little difference, if any.
“For the time being” means “temporarily for the present time”. It means you’re using one solution temporarily, but later you will change to a better one. “For a while” means for some limited period of time, which may be in the past, present or future.
Just heard on the song “American made” by George Thorogood
I’ll go miles and miles on this [color=red]lonesome road
I got a heavy heart but I never ask noone to carry my load
Hell’s brewin’ dark sun’s on the rise
This storm’ll blow through by and by
House is on fire, Viper’s in the grass
A little revenge and this too shall pass
This too shall pass, I’m gonna pray
Right now all I got’s this [color=brown]lonesome day
It’s allright? It’s allright? It’s allright
Better ask questions before you shoot
Deceit and betrayals bitter fruit
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To me, the expression “for the time being” also tends to suggest that what’s happening at the moment is a stopgap activity. AHD definition: stopgap
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So, some lonesome day, if the lone lonely cowboy known as the Lone Ranger ever got lonely enough, after being the lone gun fighter, to hang his lonesome self on the lone tree on top the hill at the end of a lonesome road just outside Lonesome Dove in the Lone Star State, that’d pretty much cover it?
Unless, of course, he died from loneliness. That would be a far different story.