Improve your English: "I stopped smoking" or "I stopped to smoke"? 

I stopped to talk = I stopped "in order" to talk I stopped talking = I shut up

A simpler way to understand the difference: a) use "to" if you are talking about a CHANGE between two actions that can't be done at the same time (or you think the subject can't do them at the same time). Ex: I can't read and answer the phone. So I've stopped to answer. (read ---> answer); b) use "ing" if you just want to express the END of that action. Ex: I stopped reading (read ---> no more reading). I think that it doesn't apply for the verb START, you can use only the -ing form. Why? Because there's no "before" in starting, you don't interrupt anything and so you don't have to explain what happened before. You just say: I start reading. (Please, correct my statement if it's wrong) Hope it could be helpful for someone. ;)

Wow 6 years of learning English and I just found out about that huge difference now. Thank you so much ☺️

I love her classes. Short, and to the point. Easy to understand and to remember. She is also so sweet.

If anybody is studying Portuguese: I stopped to talk. Eu parei para conversar. I stopped talking. Eu parei de conversar. I stopped to smoke. Eu parei para fumar. I stopped smoking. Eu parei de fumar. I stopped to watch TV. Eu parei para assistir TV. I stopped watching TV. Eu parei de assistir TV. I stopped to study. Eu parei para estudar. I stopped studying. Eu parei de estudar. And so on...

you're so sweet while you talk! thank you for the lessons!

Thank you Emma. I have been using both of these sentence patterns but I wasn't able to successfully scrutinize the difference between gerrund and infinitivea after the word "stopped", though I applied them correctly in conversing with others. As a second language learner, this video is a big help and a kind of enlightenment. Love from the Philippines.😊

God bless you Emma, a very straightforward and clear lesson. Finally i've understood either difference and meaning between these two verb form. Thanks for all your efforts and support.

Amazing! Now I know the difference! Always improving our english!

if Emma teach quantum physics whole people can learn it. :)

I stopped to watch your lesson and I stopped getting confused anymore. so simply you have solved my problem

Hello, Emma! That's Agapi from Greece! Another clear, understandable and very helpful lesson!!! And your explanations were so comprehensible!!! Thank you a lot! Have my appreciation, Emma! Right now, I am stopping the study...to rest... Good rest and you, Emma!

this one is really useful for my Cambridge test, thankyou so much Emma!

Good lesson, now I learned the difference between these two ways to communicate. Thanks a lot!

I learned another lesson in this topic. I like the way you teach. You have a broad knowledge of your topic. Thank you very much.

I stopped what I was doing just to start to listen to you for this awesome explanation because I always had a doubt about this grammar point, thank you so much for becoming it so clear to me.

Thank you for good lesson. Finally I begin to understand.

Thank you so much Emma. You make it easy for me to understand English better. ^_^

A very natural and a real teacher for us. Thank you.

I would have thought, at first, that 'stopped to' was wrong. But this video took me to a new level at understanding English. Thank you so much! :)

Emma thank you! I always love your explanations.

Whoa, took me a while but I finally understood the difference! Thanks Emma

Hi Emma, I am from Catalonia (Spain) and I study English. Your video has solved a question I have had for a long time. An excellent explanation. Thank you so much. I wish you the best. Regards.

Such a clear explanation, thank you, Emma!

Waw!! Good one!! Need more examples! Thanks 😊 I got across your this lecture easily.

very very useful,,thank a lot Emma, you're a good teacher

you have a very easy way to explain. I usually understand everything you say. Thank you!

This is the best English channel from youtube that I've ever see in my life, exceptional high quality, marvelous preacher she has a extremely suitable manner to explain us, concise and direct God bless you Emma e a todos os BR 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷aki do canal kkkkk

you give excellent lectures!!

I stopped to talk to him (so it is like assume I was walking on the street, and then I actually stopped walking, so that I can talk to him) I stopped talking to him (it is like I’m not talking to him anymore, I stopped talking to him for a day, a year, or forever, up to you personally) I hope you get the idea.

You are my favourite teacher. God bless you tremendously.

Hallo, I am a native English speaker but your vdos helped me immensely to pass the ielts general. I got an 8.5 band score. Very grateful and God bless your efforts to help others further!

:-) This "Okay" is beautiful.... Good class Teacher!

it was very useful. thank you

Emma you're simply the best! Thank you very much for such informative lessons!

wow, I won't having doubts anymore... thanks a lot!!! it was the most easier way to show how this rules work. it used to let me so confused, but it won't happening again, you're great!!!

very useful

I stopped wasting my time in useless activities.. And I stopped to watch your lesson..thanks for this great lesson:)

I love the way you talk! It has been so much time since you made this video but it still looking like fresh new. Thanks a lot for you help!

Emma you're so awesome! I've been studying English for years and never got such an important difference! Thank you so much!

Appreciate about explain easy way. I understood everything what you say. This video sooooooo good. "I stopped to watch Emma's english class." Have a great day!! Xx

I was walking on the road last day.I saw my old friend so I stopped to speak by him.

Perfect lesson! Thank you so much! You're such a good teacher.

You made me understand in minutes what some teachers tried to explain me in weeks. You made it to easy. Thanks a lot

Infinitive : you stopped what you're doing...to start another action. Gerund: you don't do Something anymore.

I stopped to read a newspaper to watch English grammar on youtube. I stopped wasting my time doing useless things.

*Finally!* A YT English instructor who calls gerund "gerund", not "-ing form" (which other RU-vidrs also use for present participle and verbal noun - they all _do_ look the same, but serve different purposes.)

Thank you! You are so organized. You always explain everything in such detail that there is no space for doubts.

it such difficult for me to understand.... I understood 70 %.... infinitive use for temporary.... and gerund use for stopped for alway.... is this right ?

I stopped talking with him

Emma teaching skill is very good, her youtube is small but each topic is very useful, especial for non native english people. I love to follow her and expect her new youtube, very nice, Thx Emma.

I don't have a doubt about it anymore. Thanks!

I stopped watching other tutorials after i met Emma First action: Watching other tuts Second action: Discovering Emma Third action: Stop watching others Next action: Marry Emma

I stopped using Facebook anymore !!

You can imagine how much I understand your examples thank you so much for your help

Thank you so much.... You've helped me a lot.... That was something I always had doubt😓 I love you.

“To” is the preposition .

I stopped walking to talk. Is this correct?

Thanks for such convenience way of teaching

I stopped to watch your lesson, but I will never stop watching your lessons . That's it .thank you very much

confused more!!!!

Hi ,Emma my dear ! As usual I get the best instruction about what does "Stop" mean with infinitive that's with "to" and what does it mean with gerund that's with "ing". I have known about their diffirences .Thank u so much. I stopped sleeping .😄😄 And I stopped to watch Emma's interesting lessons.😉.

I consider myself lucky to have a subscription of your channel. engVid is really doing a great job.

I'm brazilian and I'm learning English, thanks for your videos, it's really helpful

Hi Emma! I've been watching many of your videos today and I'm very glad, 'cos they are very useful to me! I've found many answers to the questions I always ask to myself. Now I can try learning to pronounce words I didn't know how to say correctly. I love the way you teach! Thanks a lot!

I stopped to listen your explanation about infinitive and gerund. Now I am clear. Thank you so much.

Thank you for your great tutorial! I researched many sources but you are the one who taught very well.

Oh, finally I see the difference. Thanks a lot!

For Spanish Native Speakers is easier to explain it like this: I stopped to talk = Yo paré para hablar. I stopped talking = Yo dejé de hablar (yo me callé). This is a good example: "I was walking down the street and suddenly I stopped to talk on my cellphone" Sometimes it's important to use more words or larger sentences in order to explain an idea in a better way.. Thank you very much for your video....!

Simple and clear explanation

Thank you Emma! God bless you!

Emma, your way of teaching is great, I never get bored learning from your videos! Thank you!!! Giovanni García, from Medellín, Colombia.

Hi Emma! Thanks for this video! Change verbs into nouns is one the most difficult part for me and your explanation was very helpful, clear and simple!

VIR TRILOCHUN FROM MAURITIUS There are many different ways to explain things it depends on who is explaining. Emma is doing all that she can and I have followed quite a lot of her courses on youtube. I can say it is very simple and easy to understand.

Finally, I released about the difference between those examples, thanks.

Thanks a lot for your support and help ! I wish you a wonderful healthy life !

Thanks for your excellent explanations ma'am . I'm from Sri Lanka not a native English speaker but your absolutely clear teaching method stopped me searching for a perfect teacher of talking English while teaching useful grammar terms which are always confussable. Thanks a lot again.

Thank you very much for all of your videos! I love the way you explain!

Amazing! Thank you so much for this lesson, I could understand exactly the difference between these examples. 👏👏👏

If you speak Spanish you can think of "to" like the Spanish preposition "para". That's the way I can think of it and understand it. Thank you for the video, it was so helpful.

So nice. Thank you so much. I can't stop watching this.

Perfect very clear explanation. Thanks a lot.

You explain better than my english teacher ! Greets from Germany

By far the clearest explanations on RU-vid !

She is brilliant. Thanks for all your great work.

Thanks giving you all your lessons

HI EMMA, YOU ARE A MASTER IN EXPLAINING AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

This is well explained, understandably. Thanks.

Its too glad remember my second school time with teachers like U. I got the idea while can see you beyond your eyes. Thanks teacher, nice class!

I stopped ( Why?) in order to talk. The reason why I stopped is to talk. I got it. Thank you.

I love the way you explain plus your sweet voice...

Really nice videos... As they are giving the best conceptual knowledge about grammar.

Absolutely clear! Thanks.

I love your method of teaching, thank you so much for your efforts .

Perfect lesson .. I understood everything so clear :D Amazing !

I really appreciate your videos Emma thanks a lot for your time to do these useful videos!

you are really helpful instructor to the English language beginners. I really enjoy listening your teaching. thank you so much

We use gerund: 1- After prepositions : There’s no hope OF finding survivors. 2-After this verbs: come, go, admit, avoid, appreciate, consider, continue, delay, detest, deny, enjoy, escape, finish, imagine, keep, miss, practice, resist, suggest, stop, try, understand. Examples: I enjoy listening to music. Go shopping requires time and money. I continue studying day by day. I appreciate drinking hot cocoa during the winter.

It is a first time ever I understand the difference about them thank, Emma

Thank so much Emma, I'm from Morocco and I have a BA degree in ther English language, believe me this is the first time I understand the difference between the 2 expressions, because this wasn't explained to us in the same way you did. Keep on abd have a nice week.