‘Continuous’ vs. ‘continual’, ‘i. e.’ vs. ‘e. g.’

Original link in Ambito Juridico: https://www.ambitojuridico.com/noticias/etcetera/continuous-vs-continual-i-e-vs-e-g

Learning is a continuous process. That's the long-held belief that we're always learning. This, said in English, is not true, but simply the result of a misused adjective. The correct adjective we want to use is continual, not continuous. Learning is a continuous process. Let me explain.

Continuous is non-stop (uninterrupted). Every second, without stopping, without resting, without breathing. Continual, on the other hand, means that the action or event occurs, there are pauses and breaks and then return to the action again.

Frequently, these two words are mixed up in common cases of testimonies, phone calls or speeches, or any event that can take place in a short period of time (i.e., five to ten minutes), as well as something that can occur, many times, over a long period of time. Let's see with examples:

- A unique event:

'Continuous': it is used in the passive voice as an adjective: 'The wiretaps were continuous and lasted almost two hours'.

'Continuously': used in the active voice as an adverb: 'The agents continuously intercepted the man in question for almost two hours'.

- Various events:

'Continual': it is used in the passive voice as an adjective: 'The wiretaps were continuous and lasted more than two months'.

'Continually': used in the active voice as an adverb: 'The agents continuously intercepted the telephone communications of the man in question for almost two months'.

To sum up: learning anything is a continuous process, especially languages. Trying to learn continuously is impossible.

'i. e.' vs 'e. g.'

Question: Id est (i. e.) o exemplio gratia (e. g.)?

Using i.e. is one of the most misunderstood everyday expressions of Latin that we have. The most common mistake is to use it to make an example, not to clarify. Explore:

The rule: "i. e." clarifies, while "e. g." illustrates. What 'i.e.' is really used for is to familiarize something that was mentioned in a sentence and relates to what was said earlier. It is meant to clarify, that is, to make things easier to understand.

Tip to remember: "i. e. = in other words." Both begin with "i". Example: There are many ways for a court to remedy an infringement, i.e., ways to return the injured party to the state they were in before the violation occurred.

The abbreviation 'e.g.' could be replaced by, for example. Tip to remember: "e. g. = for example". Both begin with "e". Example: There are many ways for a court to remedy a breach, for example, damages, injunctive relief, or specific performance.

Last tips: (i) always use a comma before, (ii) never leave spaces in the middle, and (iii) sometimes use a comma after.

And when in doubt, check out your preferred style guide, (i.e., Chicago, AP, APA or MLA).