2023-10-21 07:02:37
This is a debate that continues to rage… or is it a debate that continues to rage? If you read the press, you know that the first phrase is more often used. An arbitrary choice by our fellow journalists? Not at all, and you will quickly understand why.
A matter of style
The Dictionary of the French Academy specifies above all that the form “continue to” is more literary. We also tend to avoid using “continue to” when this causes a hiatus: it is more pleasant to hear “continue barking” than “continue barking”. Does this mean that the choice between “from” and “to” is a simple matter of elegance? Sometimes, yes, but all sources agree on one point: there is a semantic nuance between “continue to” and “continue to”.
Redo or start again?
We rather use “continue to” to evoke the pursuit of an action which has a defined beginning and an announced end. “Continue to”, conversely, rather designates a lasting and repetitive phenomenon, such as a habit. Proof by example:
“He continues to gorge himself”: we are undoubtedly talking about a bulimic person. “He continues to gorge himself”: we are talking more about a Christmas feast which gets out of hand. “The Earth continues to turn”: she has it always does and always will. “Sophie still annoys me”: She started to annoy you at some point and you don’t expect her to do so forever.
#Continue #continue