stop
part of speech
verb, noun (stop, stops, stopped, stopping)
meaning for a pupil
1) To stop means to not move or not go on any more. tree →
2) To stop someone is to keep them from doing something. tree →
3) A stop is a place where a bus or train waits for people: a bus stop. tree →
4) A stop is a short break in a trip. tree →
5) A full stop (UK) is the dot . at the end of a sentence (US: period). tree →
6) (casual) «Stop it!» and «pack it in» mean quit doing that; «stop by» or «stop over» means visit briefly. tree →
7) (casual, slang) «Stop!» or «stoppp» can mean «that's so funny» or «no way», not a real command. tree →
8) (rough) «Stop whinging», «stop mucking about» are blunt orders. tree →
9) (formal) «Cease», «halt», «discontinue» and «terminate» are stiff words: «Cease writing immediately.» tree →
10) To stop can also mean to stay in a place for a while. tree →
sense in the lessons
Maths: the end of an action or a trip; bus stops and train stops where people get on and off; «stopped after 30 pages» gives the amount done so far. Safety: stop, look and listen before crossing the road; a stop sign; stop when someone says stop. Grammar: end each sentence with a full stop. In casual talk: «stop it», «stop by mine». In the exam voice: «the vehicle halts at 5 intermediate stations», «candidates must cease writing». Phrases: «stop by», «put a stop to», «non-stop», «stop short».
examples
- The bus makes 5 stops. tree →
- At the first stop 4 people got off. tree →
- She stopped after reading 30 pages. tree →
- They stopped for lunch after 2 hours. tree →
- Stop at the kerb and look both ways. tree →
- The car stopped at the red light. tree →
- Please stop talking and listen. tree →
- Don't forget the full stop at the end of your sentence. tree →
- stop by mine after school, bring the 3 games (casual) tree →
- Stop whinging and finish the sums. (rough) tree →
- A vehicle halts at 5 intermediate stations; at the first, 4 passengers alight. Ascertain the number remaining aboard. (formal exam) tree →
- But that did not stop long. tree →
note
Doubles the p: stopped, stopping. «Stops» are often steps of a story in order; count on and off at each one. «Stopped after 30 pages» gives the amount done so far. Trap: «stop to look» (stop in order to look) differs from «stop looking» (no longer look). Trap: «non-stop» means without stopping, so 0 stops. Casual «stop!» can be laughing, not an order. Formal «cease» and «halt» = stop; «alight» = get off.
In the corpora
- At the other end of working life comes retirement, when people stop paid work for good.
- Retiring means stopping paid work for good, usually in your sixties, and living on a pension and savings.
- The boiler heats the water and the radiators, and "packed in" means it has stopped working.
- Separating means parents stop living together as a couple; it may lead to a divorce, but not always straight away.
- Some relatives get on, some do not, and a few stop speaking for years.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «stop» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.