What’s the Difference Between ‘Continual’ and ‘Continuous’?
In an English translation of a poem by the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi, the speaker observes, "Inside each of us, there's continual autumn. Our leaves fall and are blown out over the water." The poem emphasizes cycles of transformation and growth, akin to the changing seasons. Here, "continual" refers to
a recurring event: autumn. The adjective is often used this way, as a synonym for "recurring," to describe something that happens frequently or cyclically, with pauses in between. The term "continual" has two uses: first, as a reappearing action or event (as described above), and second, as something that continues...
