continuous

Everyday

1. Going on without stopping or breaking: continuous rain. tree →
2. Without gaps or spaces: a continuous line. tree →
3. (grammar) The continuous (progressive) form of a verb, with be + -ing: "I am reading". tree →
4. (maths) Continuous data: measurements that can take any value in a range, like height or time, not just whole numbers. tree →

In the lessons

In maths, continuous data (heights, weights, times) is shown on line graphs or grouped, while discrete data (number of pets) is counted. In English lessons the present continuous tense appears. In everyday life continuous noise, rain or queues. Phrases: continuous line, continuous rain, present continuous, continuous data.

Examples

• It was continuous rain all day. tree →
• Draw the shape in one continuous line without lifting your pencil. tree →
• "She is singing" is in the present continuous. tree →
• Height is continuous data, but the number of children is discrete data. tree →
• The factory runs on a continuous 24-hour cycle. tree →
• A continuous beep means the battery is low. tree →
• An Imperial Edict was sent forth to all the Buddhist temples commanding the priests to offer up continuous prayers to Heaven to stop the noise of the flood. tree →

Note

Adverb: continuously. Compare continual (happening again and again with breaks) and continuous (without stopping at all). In maths, continuous data is measured; discrete data is counted.