Continuing an activity with keep on

The idea

Use keep on followed by an -ing form to say an activity continues. The past is kept on. This expression is common in everyday speech.

Examples

• The children kept on playing in the rain.
• Please keep on stirring the soup.
• We kept on walking after sunset.
• The bird keeps on singing outside my window.
• They kept on trying until the door opened.
• I will keep on learning new words.

Watch out

Do not put an infinitive after it: say keep on walking, not keep on to walk.

Try it yourself

1. Choose the correct option. I kept on ___ until midnight. (reading / to read)

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   reading

   reading is the activity that continues.

2. Choose the correct option. Yesterday we ___ on dancing. (kept / keep)

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   kept

   kept places the action in the past.

3. Choose the correct option. Please keep ___ drawing. (on / out)

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   on

   on completes the expression for continuing.

Use it today

Describe an activity you continued despite a difficulty.