persist：顽强地坚持。persist指坚持行动或行为，persist后搭配介词in。指不顾困难或他人的反对而坚持做某事。
insist主要指坚持某种意见或主张等，insist后搭配介词on。insist：坚决要求。
指坚持认为某种想法正确或坚称某种说法属实，尤指与他人的想法或说法相左，也可指坚决要求做某事。
She insisted on her innocence.
她坚称自己无罪。
She insisted that he should leave for Shanghai.
她坚持要他去上海。
The manager insists on all his employees coming to the picnic.
经理坚持要求所有员工都参加野餐。
persist、insist区别如下
1. 从含义上看：insist 主要指坚持某种意见或主张等，persist 则指坚持行动或行为，或固执地坚持某种意见。如：
He insisted on my staying there. 他坚持要我留在那儿。
He persists in reading in bed. 他老爱在床上看书。
2. 从搭配上看：用作不及物动词后接介词时，insist 后搭配介词on，persist 后搭配介词 in。如：
I always insist on wholesome bread. 我一贯主张要吃全麦面包。
He persists in his bad habit. 他坚持不改坏习惯。
persist in （doing）sth顽强地坚持；执著地做
persist with sth顽强地坚持；执著地做
He persists in reading in bed.
他偏要在床上看书。
Why does Britain persist in running down its defence forces?
为什么英国要坚持消减其军事防御力量？
Why do you persist in blaming yourself for what happened?
你何必为已发生的事没完没了地自责？
Britons persist in treating any pay rise of less than 5% as a slap in the face.
英国人坚持认为加薪不到5%不啻于一种羞辱。
Politicians persist in imagining that 'the people' warm to their cheesy slogans.
政客们还在想象着“人民”对他们的空洞口号会越来越感兴趣呢。
She persisted in going her own way, although I asked her not to.
虽然我劝阻她，她还是愣干。
Under new situations and circumstances, some people persist in handling matter according to past experience and old habits.
在新形势下，有些人仍然在穿新鞋，走老路。
She persisted in her search for the truth.
她执著地追求真理。
He persisted in his refusal to apologize.
他坚持不道歉。
He persisted in his refusal to pay the money.
他坚持拒绝付钱。
He persisted with his questioning.
他问个不停。
She persisted with her experiment despite the lack of money.
尽管缺少资金，她还是坚持自己的实验。
The boy insisted that he hadn’t broken the glass.
那小男孩坚持说他没有打烂玻璃杯。(谓语动词不用虚拟语气，而应用陈述语气)
另外，insist 可用作及物或不及物动词，用作及物动词时，其后通常接 that 从句(是否用虚拟语气，视情况而定，即看从句内容是否为事实)，而 persist 通常只用作不及物动词(其后不接 that 从句)。如：
He insisted that she (should) do it. 他坚持要她做那事。
He insisted that she had done it. 他坚持说她做过那事。
He insisted that I should read his letter. 他坚持要我看他的信。
He insisted that I had read his letter. 他坚持说我看过他的信。
再看：
一、意思不同
1、persist：vi. 存留，坚持；持续，固执、vt. 坚持说，反复说
2、insist：vt. 坚持，强调、vi. 坚持，强调
二、用法不同
1、persist：persist的基本意思是尽管遭到反对，受到警告或遇到失败，还是固执地坚持自己的信念、行为，导致令人遗憾的后果，用于不好或不正确的一面。
2、insist：insist的基本意思是“坚持”，常用于坚持意见、看法、主张等。insist既可用作及物动词，也可用作不及物动词。
三、侧重点不同
1、persist：指坚持行动。
2、insist：指坚持某种意见。
adhere to phr. v. [正式]坚持
指坚守规则、信仰、协定等。
We should adhere to the traffic rules.
我们应该遵守交通规则。
They adhere to the principle that everyone is equal before the law.
他们坚持法律面前人人平等的信条。
All staff of the company adhere to a strict code of dress.
该公司的所有员工都遵守一套严格的着装标准。