Continuously vs. Continually的区别
副词continuously和continually(以及与之对应的形容词continuous和continuous)是很容易混淆的词。Continuously描述不断发生的动作。而continual则用来描述**或有规律地发生的动作。
关于是使用continuously还是continuously的混淆是可以理解的,因为这两个词都有相同的拉丁词根continuare,意思是“连接或连接”。只是单词的结尾不同,随着时间的推移,这两个单词演变出了微妙的不同含义。
这两个词表达**是不能互换的,continuously表示动作不间断,一致**,而continually表示中间被打断,有停顿。
例如:
The infant screamed continuously for 2 minutes until her parents woke up to change her diaper. 婴儿连续尖叫了两分钟,直到她的父母醒来给她换尿布。(婴儿两分钟一直连续哭闹。)
It drizzles continually in the winter months in Seattle. 在西雅图,冬天的几个月里一直下着毛毛雨。(雨是在冬天会停的,然后又下雨,反复发生。)
定义 Continuously: 事情的动作不停
My grandmother corrects my grammar continuously. (错误)
My grandmother corrects my grammar continually. 正确)
再举个例子。.
It is hard to get a word in edgewise with her because she talks continuously.(错误)
她说个不停,要想**她的话很难。
说话是一种由人类,也许是鹦鹉完成的动作。对于两者来说,几乎不可能一直这样做。人们偶尔会停下来喘口气,等待你的回应, 例如:
It is hard to get a word in edgewise with her because she talks continually. (正确)
如果你的目的是强调一个演讲者在大规模中断之前讲了很长一段时间,那么这个词应该是用continuously, 例如:
Professor Smith lectured continuously for twenty minutes, then had a question-and-answer period.
定义Continually:事情循环发生
如果你记得问自己:“这个动作曾经停止过吗?”就很容易决定是用continuously 还是 continually。有些事情确实会**发生,而有些事情则不会。时钟可以连续滴答,心脏可以连续跳动,这些动作是自动的,都是用continuously。但是,比如说,雷击可以**不断吗? 能用continuously吗?
I was too frightened to sleep because lightning struck continuously during the night. (错误)
这不仅是可怕的,而且是世界末日。你会在一片烧焦的土地上醒来,那景象会让你十分清醒。幸运的是,大自然母亲并没有用**不断的闪电袭击我们。然而,在一个暴风雨的夜晚,它可能是**的;也就是说,它可能经常和有规律地发生。
I was too frightened to sleep because lightning struck continually during the night. (正确)
Continuous 与 Continual 用在历史的长河中
当你从人类学、历史或地质学的角度来描述一种**存在的现象时,“Continuously ”可能最有效。以这个句子为例:
Because it has been used continually for almost two thousand years, Rome’s Pantheon is well preserved.
罗马万神殿由于断断续续使用了近两千年,所以保存完好。
这里的概念是,从不废弃的建筑被修复,通常给予他们应有的关注,因此上述句子侧重短期的废弃并没有中止万神殿的使用。虽然说万神殿在过去2000年左右的时间里一直在使用也就是说,**地使用,是正确的,但它的使用从未被一段时间的废弃所打断,所以可以用下句表达其使用的连续。
Because it has been used continuously for almost two thousand years, Rome’s Pantheon is well preserved.
由于连续使用了近两千年,罗马万神殿保存完好。