Learn English – Difference between Keep on+V-ing and Keep+V-ing

differencesphrasal-verbsverbs

Please help me to find out the answer. Am I right if I say

I keep on walking in this dark way?

or

I keep walking in this dark way?

What is the difference between the two sentences?

Best Answer

"to keep doing" is just the shortened form of the older "to keep on doing". There is no difference in meaning. Very often we have the phenomenon that prepositions are dropped in verb constructions.

I would guess that the shortened form "to keep doing" is used more frequently today than the longer version. I think it is a general rule that when speakers have agreed on a shortened form then it is the shortened form that is used and not the older, longer one.

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