what does a wall clock do after it stops ticking

When a wall clock stops ticking, it simply hangs around. However, if the clock is a mechanical one and it has stopped due to being out of beat, it can be set up again by adjusting the pendulum. For mantle clocks with a pendulum, a temporary cure may be to place something under one side of the clock, such as a coin, and listen again to see if its any better. If its worse, place the coin under the other side instead and listen again. Add two or three coins if you need to until the tick sounds even. Wall clocks may be given final adjustment simply by moving the bottom of the case very slightly to one side or the other until they can be heard to be in beat.