Jump Statements

What are jump statements?

Imagine you are watching a movie. Normally, the movie plays scene by scene. But sometimes you may want to stop watching, skip a scene, jump to a particular scene, or finish the movie.

C programming also provides statements that change the normal flow of execution. These are called jump statements.

C has four commonly taught jump statements:

break statement

The break statement immediately terminates the nearest enclosing loop or switch. Execution continues with the first statement after it.

Syntax

break;

Example: Stop counting at 4

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void)
{
    int i;

    for (i = 1; i <= 6; i++)
    {
        if (i == 4)
        {
            break;
        }

        printf("%d ", i);
    }

    return 0;
}

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How does it work?

Important points

• break can be used in for, while, do-while, and switch.
• It exits only the nearest enclosing loop or switch.
• It does not automatically terminate the entire program.

continue statement

The continue statement skips the remaining statements in the current loop iteration and moves to the next iteration.

Syntax

continue;

Example: Print numbers from 1 to 6, except 4

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void)
{
    int i;

    for (i = 1; i <= 6; i++)
    {
        if (i == 4)
        {
            continue;
        }

        printf("%d ", i);
    }

    return 0;
}

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When i becomes 4, continue skips printf(). The loop then proceeds to the next iteration.

Difference between break and continue

goto statement

The goto statement transfers control directly to a labelled statement within the same function.

Syntax

goto label;

/* Other statements */

label:
    statement;

Here, label is an identifier followed by a colon.

Example

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void)
{
    printf("Start\n");

    goto finish;

    printf("This line is skipped.\n");

finish:
    printf("Program reached finish.\n");

    return 0;
}

Start
Program reached finish.

Explanation

1. Start is printed.
2. goto finish; transfers control to the label finish:.
3. The intervening printf() statement is skipped.
4. The final message is printed.

Advantages and disadvantages

• It can be useful in some carefully designed error-handling or cleanup paths.
• Excessive use makes programs difficult to read, understand, and debug.
• Prefer loops, functions, and structured control statements whenever possible.

return statement

Meaning

The return statement terminates the execution of the current function and transfers control back to the calling function.

It is commonly used in two forms:

return;        /* No value: void function */
return value;  /* Return a value */

Example: Return the square of a number

#include <stdio.h>

int square(int n)
{
    return n * n;
}

int main(void)
{
    int result = square(5);

    printf("Square = %d\n", result);

    return 0;
}

Square = 25

How it works

• square(5) calls the function with n = 5.
• return n * n; calculates and sends back 25.
• The value is stored in result.
• main() prints the result and returns 0.

Comparison table

Common mistakes to avoid

• Confusing break with continue.
• Using continue outside a loop.
• Forgetting to update a loop variable when using continue in a while loop.
• Using goto without defining the target label in the same function.
• Returning a value that is inconsistent with the function's declared return type.
• Assuming break exits all nested loops; it exits only the nearest enclosing loop or switch.

Important questions for B.Tech exams

Short-answer questions

1. Define jump statements in C and list their types.
2. Differentiate between break and continue.
3. Explain the syntax and purpose of goto.
4. What is the role of return in a function?

Long-answer and programming questions

1. Explain the four jump statements with suitable examples.
2. Write a C program to print numbers from 1 to 10, skipping 5 using continue.
3. Write a C program that stops printing numbers when the counter reaches 6 using break.
4. Write a function that returns the larger of two integers using return.