Grammar Lesson: Stop Doing vs Stop To Do | On Your Mark's English
- Mark Connolly
- Dec 16, 2025
- 2 min read
The "Smoking" Mistake
Imagine you want to tell your doctor that you don't smoke anymore.
If you say, "Doctor, I stopped to smoke," the doctor will think you just had a cigarette outside the hospital!
To say you quit, you must say: "I stopped smoking."
This is the difference between Gerunds (-ING) and Infinitives (TO).
1. STOP + DOING (Gerund) 🛑
Use the -ING form when you terminate an action. It is finished. You are not doing it anymore.
"I stopped eating junk food." (I am on a diet).
"He stopped running because he was tired." (He is walking or standing now).
"Please stop making noise."
2. STOP + TO DO (Infinitive) ▶️
Use the TO + Verb form when you interrupt an action to start a new one.
Think of it as "Stop [action A]... in order to do [action B]."
"I stopped to eat lunch." (Meaning: I was working/walking, I stopped that, and I started eating).
"He stopped to answer the phone."
"We stopped to look at the map."
The Comparison
"I stopped drinking coffee." (I don't drink coffee anymore. It's bad for me).
"I stopped to drink coffee." (I was walking to work, but I paused at a cafe to have a cup).
Your Turn
Complete the sentence: "I was working hard, but I stopped ______ (check) my phone."
Is it "checking" or "to check"? Write your answer in the comments down below.
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