What are the differences between "ongoing", "going on" and just "going"? And which one should I use to express that a TV series hasn't concluded and continues to run? For example:
- Is 'The Simpsons' still going/ongoing/going on?
Please help me understand them. Many thanks in advance.
Best Answer
ongoing is an adjective describing "continuing to exist or develop, or happening at the present moment".
go on is a phrasal verb meaning "happen" or "continue".
go on its own doesn't really have any suitable meanings: the closest is "operating". So you could say "Is your watch still going?".
If you want to describe a television show, you probably want an adjective:
If you want to ask whether it is showing at this moment, you could use the "happening" meaning to ask
If you want to ask whether the series will continue in the future, you could use the "continue" meaning:
If you simply want to ask whether the series is currently being aired regularly, you would be more likely to say