continue

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitive

   To keep happening, existing, or being done without stopping.

   Grammar: No object; often continue to do or continue doing: Prices continued to rise / kept rising. Continue doing is common after an interruption too.

   Patterns

   • continue to do something
   • continue doing something
   • continue until late
   • continue for miles

   The rain continued all afternoon.

   She continued working despite the noise.

   Talks continued until after midnight.

2. 2verbtransitive

   To keep doing something or carry it on; to begin again after a pause.

   Grammar: Takes an object: continue her studies, continue the meeting. Resume implies a clear stop; continue can be unbroken or after a pause.

   Patterns

   • continue something
   • continue a discussion
   • continue the journey
   • continue where we left off

   After coffee, they continued the discussion.

   The bus continued its route across the bridge.

   Let us continue the story where we left off.

3. 3verbintransitive

   To go farther in the same direction, especially along a road or path.

   Grammar: Often followed by along/down/up; common on signs and directions: Continue along Main Street.

   Patterns

   • continue along the road
   • continue down the hall
   • continue to the end

   Continue along this road for two miles.

   Continue down the corridor to the exit.

   After the lights, continue straight ahead.

Word forms

Common combinations

continue to do something

The team continued to meet every Friday.

continue doing something

He continued reading while the kettle boiled.

continue with something

We will continue with the agenda after lunch.

continue along the road

Continue along the road past the library.

to be continued

The episode ended with the words to be continued.

Synonyms and how they differ

carry on

Informal phrasal verb for keep doing; continue is neutral and fits formal writing.

resume

Start again after stopping; continue can mean without stopping, so the nuance differs.

proceed

Continue with a planned next step; formal and purposeful: proceed with caution.

persist

Continue despite difficulty, delay, or opposition; often implies stubbornness or endurance.

Opposites

Word family

continuation noun

The act of continuing or a part that continues something.

continuous adjective

Happening without interruption: continuous monitoring.

continuously adverb

Without stopping; distinct from repeatedly.

continual adjective

Happening again and again; often contrasted with continuous.

Commonly confused: continue or continuously? continue or resume?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “continue”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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