Hello Daxiaoaixad
 Daxiaoaixad wrote: |
| Is there exist a slight difference between "continue to do" and "continue doing"? In the sense that "continue to do" indicates that you finished doing something, then continue to do something else. While "continue doing" indicates that you are doing something, then you are interrupted by something else, then go back to do the something again? |
|
I've thought a bit over this question, but couldn't find good answers. However, I have a feeling some people should make a distinction between the two usages. As usual I did a survey using the pages of New York Times COM on Google. The purpose of survey was to know which one the NY Times people are using more often for what kind of the verb V2, "continued to V2" or "continued V2-ing". The results are as follows:
"continued to fight" 117 "continued fighting" 139
"continued to talk" 91 "continued talking" 63
"continued to walk" 30 "continued walking" 60
"continued to work" 825 "continued working" 214
"continued to rise" 660 "continued rising" 27
"continued to live in" 107 "continued living in" 0
"continued to be" 13600 "continued being" 17
Although this survey is a very limited one, I'm inclined to conclude from it that the NY Times reporters have a tendency to avoid the use of "continue V2-ing" when the verb V2 is a stative verb. I reason this phenomenon as follows. "Continue" itself gives a notion of continuous to the V2. Therefore when the V2 verb is a stative verb, "continue V2-ing" would emphasize the continuity of the activity of V2 too much enough to sound unnatural.
paco