PYTHON BASICS • LESSON 15

break, continue & pass

Learn how to control Python loops using break, continue, and pass. These statements help you stop, skip, or temporarily leave loop logic.

1. Why Control a Loop?

Normally, a loop continues until its normal stopping condition is reached. Sometimes, however, you need to change that behavior.

Python provides three useful statements:

  • break — stops the loop completely.
  • continue — skips the current iteration.
  • pass — does nothing and allows the program to continue.

2. The break Statement

The break statement immediately terminates the loop.

for number in range(1, 10):
    if number == 5:
        break
    print(number)

The loop stops when number becomes 5.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

What numbers are printed?

3. break with a while Loop

count = 1

while count <= 10:
    if count == 4:
        break

    print(count)
    count += 1

The loop normally could reach 10, but break gives us an earlier stopping point.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

When does this while loop stop?

4. break in Data Processing

In data processing, break can stop a search once the required record has been found.

customers = ["Amit", "Neha", "Ravi", "Priya"]

for customer in customers:
    if customer == "Ravi":
        print("Customer Found")
        break

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Why is break useful in this example?

5. The continue Statement

Unlike break, continue does not stop the entire loop. It skips the current iteration and moves to the next one.

for number in range(1, 6):
    if number == 3:
        continue

    print(number)

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

What is printed?

6. break vs continue

StatementWhat it does
breakStops the entire loop.
continueSkips the current iteration.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Which statement skips only the current iteration?

7. continue in Data Analytics

Suppose an analyst wants to ignore missing values represented by zero.

sales = [10000, 0, 15000, 12000]

for amount in sales:
    if amount == 0:
        continue

    print(amount)

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Which value is skipped?

8. The pass Statement

pass is a placeholder. It tells Python to do nothing at that point.

for number in range(3):
    pass

print("Program finished")

The loop executes, but pass performs no action.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

What does pass do?

9. pass vs continue

These two statements behave differently.

for number in range(1, 4):
    if number == 2:
        pass

    print(number)

Because pass does nothing, the print statement still executes for 2.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Will 2 be printed in the previous example?

10. Predict the Output

for number in range(1, 6):
    if number == 4:
        continue

    print(number)

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

What is printed?

11. Complete the Code

Fill in the Blank

Use ___ to stop a loop completely.

Fill in the Blank

Use ___ to skip the current iteration.

Fill in the Blank

Use ___ when you need a placeholder that does nothing.

12. Combining break with a Condition

sales = [25000, 40000, 65000, 120000, 90000]

for sale in sales:
    if sale >= 100000:
        print("Target Found")
        break

The loop stops when it encounters the first sale of at least ₹100,000.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Which sale causes the loop to stop?

13. Mini Challenge — Ignore Invalid Records

A dataset contains negative values that should not be processed.

values = [100, -20, 150, -5, 200]

for value in values:
    if value < 0:
        continue

    print(value)

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

How many values will be printed?

14. Mini Challenge — Find the First High Sale

Find the first transaction greater than ₹100,000 and stop processing after finding it.

sales = [45000, 70000, 125000, 150000]

for sale in sales:
    if sale > 100000:
        print(sale)
        break

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

What value will be printed?

15. Debugging Loop Control

Look at this code:

for number in range(1, 6):
    if number == 3:
        break
    print(number)
    print("Finished")

Once number becomes 3, the entire loop stops. Therefore, no code after the break inside that iteration runs.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Will 'Finished' be printed when number equals 3?

16. Final Challenge — Sales Quality Check

A data analyst wants to inspect sales records. Negative values should be ignored. If a sale reaches ₹200,000, processing should stop.

sales = [50000, -10000, 90000, 125000, 200000, 250000]

for sale in sales:
    if sale < 0:
        continue

    if sale >= 200000:
        print("Limit Reached")
        break

    print(sale)

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Which sales values are printed before 'Limit Reached'?

Lesson 15 Recap

  • ✓ break stops the entire loop.
  • ✓ continue skips the current iteration.
  • ✓ pass does nothing and acts as a placeholder.
  • ✓ break is useful when a required item has been found.
  • ✓ continue is useful for ignoring unwanted records.
  • ✓ pass can be used when code is intentionally left empty.
  • ✓ These statements can be combined with conditions.