Continuously or Continually? The Cats Have the Answer

Do you ever mix up these two words: continuously and continually? People do, but cats don’t.

Look at the chart below for some clues to distinguish between these often confused words.

What kinds of things happen continuously?  (no pauses, no breaks, no interruptions)

• My family lived in the old farmhouse on Brewster Road continuously from 1936 to 2004.

The Kroelinger house on North Brewster Road, Vineland, NJ

• Water flows over Niagara Falls continuously.  Six thousand years ago, ice sheets that had continuously covered the Great Lakes basin for thousands of years retreated and gouged out the Great Lakes, the Niagara River, and Niagara Falls.
• Water flowed continuously over the American Falls and the Canadian Falls at Niagara for thousands of years. Even when a thick ice bridge formed at the falls, water flowed continuously under the ice. (Water flow was once interrupted on the American side so engineers could determine whether they could remove the rock pile at the bottom of the falls. Even so, water flowed continuously over the Canadian Falls.)
  

  Photo credit: vroomvroom.com

• The Lenape Indians lived in Mays Landing, NJ continuously long before the Europeans arrived and displaced them.

Lenape Indian Wigwam Photo credit: JimSalichedublog.com

• It rained continuously for forty days and forty nights in biblical times. But Noah, after receiving a vision from God, had built and ark and saved his family and hordes of animals from sure destruction.
  

  Illustration finkorswim.com

• The nurses gave the dehydrated runner intravenous fluids continuously for two days.
• My air conditioner runs continuously on 90 degree days.
• It rains continuously during the rainy season in India.
• The people formed one continuous line down the block as they waited to enter the concert arena.

• You must be continuously employed at our company to receive benefits.
• Video surveillance in our downtown parking garage goes on continuously 24/7.

What kinds of things happen continually? (happen over and over again; intermittent; repeated frequently)

• Cats sleep continually (something interesting is always going on so their constant napping is frequently interrupted: a mouse to chase, a kibbie to eat, the dog to train, the owner to annoy, a dust bunny to bat, a leaf of grass to chew, whatever. . . . ) A cat’s life is one of continual nap time interruptions.

• Continual hurricanes create havoc (floods, wind damage, deaths) where they hit land masses.

Photo credit: tccnj.org.

• Continual telephone calls interrupt my work flow and prevent me from completing my assignments.
• The graph showed continual improvement with its zigzag lines that trended up.
• We expect continual improvement in your son’s grades because he is now doing his homework.
  

  Graph credit: freedigital.com

• Chipmunks continually climb the bird feeder pole and steal the bird seed. They jump down and run with bloated cheek pouches to drop the seed at their hiding places, then come back for more.
  

  Photo credit: inhabit.com

• Police officers continually catch violators at the traffic lights at Main Street and Market Street.
• Some people argue continually over minor things.

• All teachers continually seek to improve their teaching skill.

The Last Meow

Okay, now that we have continuously and continually all straightened out, can we kitties please have some uninterrupted peace and quiet so we can nap? Just have our kibbies ready when we wake up.

Thanks.

Oh, by the way, here are some kitties who continually play patty-cake.

Meow for now. =<^;^>=