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So, just a few minutes ago we had this question asking whether one could substitute ongoing availability with continuing availability and what the difference would be, if any. Apart from the question looking like spam and being deleted, my gut feeling told me it should've been continued availability instead of continuing.

This made me wonder: are these two exchangeable as well? Is there any subtle difference in meaning that I'm missing? continuing availability just sounds wrong, but I can't seem to put my finger on it as to why.

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There is a slight difference between the two.

Use continued when you are speaking about availability that has persisted up till a point in time (e.g., now) but may not persist past it.

Use continuing when you are speaking about availability that will persist into the future.

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Ah, of course! Thanks :) – Magnus Jan 16 at 22:03
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Not so fast, Magnus! Robusto's claim does not hold for me. The two phrases are indistinguishable. I can't think of a context in which choosing one over the other makes any semantic difference. This example needs continued/ing consideration. – H Stephen Straight Jan 16 at 23:20
Well, my belly says he's got a point, but if someone has a better explanation I'm all ears... – Magnus Jan 17 at 6:21

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