“Continuous”, “Continual” and “Continued” are adjectives all derived from the verb “Continue”. Yet their meanings are a little bit different that sometimes confuse the users. Below are the discrepancies:

• “Continuous”: repeat without a pause or interruption.
• “Continual”: similar to continuous in meaning but there are breaks in between.
• “Continued”: prolonged.

See more examples to better understand the differences.

1. The machine keeps emitting a continuous whining sound until being shut down. It means the sound never stops.
2. The lighting makes a continual whining sound. It means the sound recurs frequently at regular intervals with pause in between.
3. Thank you for your continued donation to our school. It means prolonged donation here. Don’t use continuous.

 

 

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