If the Doorbell Rings Continuously, It Must Be Stuck (continually and continuously)

Some believe that these words are interchangeable. Those people probably won't be reading this blog, because to them language is strictly utilitarian, and questions about its nuances would probably elicit the response "Whatever." I (and those who read this blog,) believe that attention to the subtle differences between words helps to maintain the richness of our vocabulary.

The word "continual" is an adjective that means regularly repeated, recurrent, intermittent, recurring with occasional interruptions, or repeating at regular
intervals. It might be helpful to remember that there is an "al" at the end of both "continual" and "interval."  
Here are some sentences that use the adjective "continual" or the adverb
"continually" correctly:
            Her continual complaints were annoying to her colleagues.
            Our doorbell rings continually on Halloween.
            The child caused continual distractions in the classroom.
            Out trip took longer because we encountered continual roadwork.
            Throughout the speech there were continual interruptions for applause.
            She coughed continually during the night.

The adjective "continuous" means never-ending, unceasing, unbroken,
uninterrupted, or incessant. If something is continuous, there are no pauses or breaks.
The following sentences use "continuous" or "continuously" correctly:
            The siren sounded continuously for three minutes.
            We could hear the continuous hum of the power line.
            Our neighbors played loud music continuously for two hours.
            After days of continuous rain, the streets were flooded.

To visualize these words, first imagine an unbroken line (continuous), and then
think of a dotted line (continual).


Before I close, I'd like to submit these questions to those who say "Whatever":
            1. Would you like your watch to tick continually or continuously?
            2. Would you like the electric current in your home to run continually
                 or continuously?
            3. If you were being starved, would you prefer that the food deprivation
                  be continual or continuous?
            4. If you were in a band that was hired to perform continuously
                  from 9 to 11, should you be allowed to take a break during that time?