stop raining vs. finish raining

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miwalko

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Is there any difference between It stopped raining and It finished raining? The latter seems weird to me - as if there was a goal associated with raining, but I see it used. When would you use it instead of the former? Thanks.
 

billmcd

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Is there any difference between It stopped raining and It finished raining? The latter seems weird to me - as if there was a goal associated with raining, but I see it used. When would you use it instead of the former? Thanks.

For me, never.
 

emsr2d2

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I agree with billmcd. I would only use "stop" with "raining".
 
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abaka

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The thing is, "stop" marks a temporary or permanent halt, while "finish" marks a definite end. Does rain ever truly finish? Unlikely, for we don't know the future. Rain stops: until it starts again.
 

Tdol

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I might use it if the rain was annoying me and I wished to give it a more human characteristic.
 
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