Phrasal verb
keep talking
Definition
phrasal verb. to continue speaking without stopping.
phrasal verb. to maintain a verbal discourse; the verb 'keep' functions as an aspectual catenative verb followed by a gerund to indicate continuous or repeated action.
Examples
“Please keep talking while I take notes.”
“Even though the fire alarm went off, the professor decided to keep talking until the end of the slide.”
“The witness was instructed to keep talking despite the frequent interruptions from the opposing counsel.”
Examples
simple
“Please keep talking while I take notes.”
contextual
“Even though the fire alarm went off, the professor decided to keep talking until the end of the slide.”
complex
“The witness was instructed to keep talking despite the frequent interruptions from the opposing counsel.”
Usage
always followed by the -ing form of the verb, never the infinitive.
Teaching tip
use this to practice the 'keep + -ing' pattern for continuous actions; contrast with 'start talking' or 'stop talking'.
Pitfall
He kept to talk for an hour.
He kept talking for an hour.
the verb 'keep' must be followed by a gerund (-ing), not an infinitive with 'to'.
Phrasal verb
Particles
talking
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
keep + talking