student asking question

Please tell me the reason why the speaker used "halt" instead of "stop". Is there any difference?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

When used as nouns, "halt" means a stop, either temporary or permanent, whereas "stop" means a (usually marked) place where line buses, trams or trains halt to let passengers get on and off, usually smaller than a station. When used as verbs, "halt" means to limp, whereas "stop" means to cease moving. In the case of this video, as he is dressed as a superhero, he is using "halt" to mean stop. He probably chose it because 'halt" is more formal and dramatic which matches his character of being a superhero. It is key to note that the phrase "halt" is not commonly used in this way as it is so formal and kind of outdated.

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