Stop to Do or Doing

Author:

englishlearnerzone

Stop to do or doing? What is the difference between stop to do and stop doing? Is the verb stop followed by an infinitive or gerund?

Both stop to do and stop doing are correct. The verb stop can be followed by an infinitive or gerund. However, stop to do vs stop doing have different meanings and are used in different contexts.

Stop to Do or Doing?

As we have mentioned before, the verb stop can be followed by an infinitive or gerund with a difference in meaning. So, what’s the difference between stop to do and stop doing something?

Stop to do something: This phrase means to finish doing something in order to do something else.

Stop doing something: This phrase means to finish doing something or quit something.

Stop doing stop to do Examples

Here are some stop doing vs stop to do examples:

Stop to Do Examples

Stop + to + verb in the infinitive = Pause temporarily to do sth else.

On my way home from work, I stopped to do some shopping.

We need to stop to eat.

When we got lost, we stopped to ask for directions.

Some students usually stop to pick up some flowers when returning from school.

I have been driving for hours. Let’s stop to take some rest.

A good driver stops to let pedestrians cross the street safely.

They have been working for hours. I think they should stop to take a break.

I stop to smell the roses on my way to school.

On my way home I stopped to buy some fruit.

We stopped to get some petrol before continuing on our journey to Washington.

In the examples above, the current activity is interrupted to perform another activity or task.

Stop Doing Something Examples

Stop + verb + ing (= stop + gerund) = Finish, end.

You should stop eating junk food to improve your health.

Stop doing that; it’s forbidden in this park.

As I got tired, I stopped doing my homework and went to bed.

We have stopped doing business with that supplier because of poor-quality products.

I advise you to stop procrastinating and start working on your project.

All citizens should stop polluting the environment with plastic waste.

I am really looking forward to the party. I can’t stop talking about it.

Our coach asked the players to stop complaining and do their best to win the game.

“Stop talking and do the exercise,” said the teacher to the students.

“Stop complaining and hurry up,” said the mother to her kid.

My doctor advised me to stop eating so much sugar.

‘You should stop smoking,” said my father.

Stop shouting, please!

Be brave and stop being frightened.

It’s unlikely to stop raining but I wish it would.

In the examples above, the person(s) is/are involved in the action and they want to put an end to it.

Hope we have answered the question, “Stop to do or doing?” and given ample examples to clarify the difference between stop doing vs stop to do.

What is the difference between stop to talk and stop talking?

Stop to talk means that you stop doing an action in order to talk, whereas stop talking means that you stop the action of talking or you no longer talk to someone.