These two words are sometimes used interchangeably, but ‘continuous’ and ‘continual’ are certainly not synonyms. They are both derived from the verb ‘to continue’ and are both adjectives used to describe duration. There is, however, a subtle difference in their definitions and usage. Read on to learn more about them.
Continuous
The word ‘continuous’ is an adjective used to describe something which is ongoing and uninterrupted. It is usually used when referring to a duration of time, as in the sentence:
‘For three hours we listened to the continuous sound of our neighbor’s house music’.
Continuous can also be used to describe space or length as well as time, as in the sentence:
‘The Maginot Line consisted of a continuous stretch of concrete fortifications’.
Continuous is the more frequently used of the two words and the Oxford English Corpus, which monitors the evolution of language, has found that is five times more common than the word ‘continual’.
Continual
The adjective ‘continual’ means that something happens repeatedly, with breaks in between, rather than being one long, uninterrupted event. Something which is continual comes and goes, like bad weather or a bad atmosphere. The word ‘continual’ would be used in a sentence like this:
‘Peter hated the continual arguments which occurred in his childhood home’.
These arguments occurred frequently and repeatedly, but there wasn’t one continuous, ongoing argument that lasted the entire length of Peter’s childhood.
Being aware of the subtle difference between these two adjectives means that you will be able to use them with confidence in your paper. The basic facts to remember are:
-Something which is continual recurs. Like a chronic illness, it flares up repeatedly but there are breaks in-between.
-Something which is continuous happens all in one go, non-stop, and without interruption.
If you would like some more guidance and advice about academic writing, or would like to have your own work checked through for errors and formatting, get in touch with the professionals at Proofread My Paper today!
Continuous
The word ‘continuous’ is an adjective used to describe something which is ongoing and uninterrupted. It is usually used when referring to a duration of time, as in the sentence:
‘For three hours we listened to the continuous sound of our neighbor’s house music’.
Continuous can also be used to describe space or length as well as time, as in the sentence:
‘The Maginot Line consisted of a continuous stretch of concrete fortifications’.
Continuous is the more frequently used of the two words and the Oxford English Corpus, which monitors the evolution of language, has found that is five times more common than the word ‘continual’.
Continual
The adjective ‘continual’ means that something happens repeatedly, with breaks in between, rather than being one long, uninterrupted event. Something which is continual comes and goes, like bad weather or a bad atmosphere. The word ‘continual’ would be used in a sentence like this:
‘Peter hated the continual arguments which occurred in his childhood home’.
These arguments occurred frequently and repeatedly, but there wasn’t one continuous, ongoing argument that lasted the entire length of Peter’s childhood.
Being aware of the subtle difference between these two adjectives means that you will be able to use them with confidence in your paper. The basic facts to remember are:
-Something which is continual recurs. Like a chronic illness, it flares up repeatedly but there are breaks in-between.
-Something which is continuous happens all in one go, non-stop, and without interruption.
If you would like some more guidance and advice about academic writing, or would like to have your own work checked through for errors and formatting, get in touch with the professionals at Proofread My Paper today!