Stop + gérondif veut dire qu'une action qui était en cours prends fin. Il n'y a pas de relation de cause à effet.
Exemples
- I stopped working for them last year.
- I have stopped cycling to work.
- Could you stop bringing your dog to the office?
- He stopped eating meat in January.
Stop + l'infinitif veut dire qu'on interrompt une action pour faire autre chose. L'infinitif exprime la cause de l’arrêt.
Exemples
- I stopped to have lunch at 12:00.
- It's difficult to concentrate on what you are doing if you have to stop to answer the phone every five minutes.
- We stopped to look at the wildflowers.
- I stopped to take a break, but I'll start again soon.