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Practice

Loop Controls (break, continue, pass)

Loops let us repeat code — but sometimes we need more control. What if you want to exit a loop early, skip part of it, or leave space for future logic?

Python provides three helpful keywords: break, continue, and pass.

Let’s go through each of them with examples.


1. break: Stop the Loop Immediately​

Use break when you want to exit the loop entirely, no matter how many items are left.

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

Explanation:

  • This loop prints numbers from 1 to 9.
  • But when number == 5, it hits break and exits the loop.
  • So the output is: 1, 2, 3, 4

2. continue: Skip the Current Step​

Use continue when you want to skip one iteration and move on.

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

Explanation:

  • This skips number == 3, but keeps looping.
  • Output is: 1, 2, 4, 5

3. pass: Placeholder That Does Nothing​

pass is used when you need a block of code syntactically, but don’t want to write anything yet.

for letter in "data":
    if letter == "t":
        pass
    print("Letter:", letter)

Explanation:

  • When letter == "t", the program does nothing — just moves on.
  • This is useful as a placeholder for future logic.

Summary​

KeywordWhat It Does
breakExits the loop completely
continueSkips to the next loop iteration
passDoes nothing (used as placeholder)

What’s Next?​

Up next, you’ll learn how to define and use functions — an essential skill for writing clean, reusable Python code.

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