# 4.4 Break and Continue Statements, and Else Clauses on Loops

The `break` statement, like in C, breaks out of the smallest enclosing `for` or `while` loop.

The `continue` statement, also borrowed from C, continues with the next iteration of the loop.

Loop statements may have an `else` clause; it is executed when the loop terminates through exhaustion of the list (with `for`) or when the condition becomes false (with `while`), but not when the loop is terminated by a `break` statement. This is exemplified by the following loop, which searches for prime numbers:

    >>> for n in range(2, 10):
    ...     for x in range(2, n):
    ...         if n % x == 0:
    ...            print n, 'equals', x, '*', n/x
    ...            break
    ...     else:
    ...          print n, 'is a prime number'
    ...
    2 is a prime number
    3 is a prime number
    4 equals 2 * 2
    5 is a prime number
    6 equals 2 * 3
    7 is a prime number
    8 equals 2 * 4
    9 equals 3 * 3
    >>>