What is the difference between start to do sth. and start doing sth.

I know the difference between these two phrases. start to do sth. and sart doing sth. both mean "start to do something", and give you a brief summary of the meaning, pronunciation and usage of the two words, so as to get a general understanding of the other differences between ~~

start to do and start doing

start to do sth? VS. start doing sth.

The two are often used interchangeably, but there are some differences:

1. Emphasize starting long-term or habitual activities and use doing more; ? To do

I was five when I first started playing the piano.

I started playing the piano when I was five years old. (Maybe he has been playing the piano for a long time)

He sat down at the piano and started to play.

He sat down at the piano and began to play. (Describe the specific action)

2. When the subject is not a person, use to do

The car started to move. The car starts to move.

common collocation:

1)be starting to do sth.

She is starting to get angry. She is getting angry.

2) Start to understand/realize …

He started to realize how important this was.

He began to realize how important this was. ?

3. When start is used in the continuous tense, the infinitive to do

I was beginning to get anxious is used as the following verb.

I began to get angry.

the infinitive to do is often used when verbs such as know, understand, realize are followed by start to express mental state or mental activity.

I begin to understand the truth。

I began to understand the truth.

Start to do sth can only be used in the following situations

1) The subject is a thing, not a person. Such as: The ice started to melt. The ice began to melt.

2)start has been used in continuous tense, such as: Mary is starting to do her homework.

3) start is followed by words that refer to mental state or mental activity. I started to understand the lesson.

4) when it is used to describe weather changes. It started to get dark before we know it.

5) emphasize the actual beginning of the action. We started to laugh when she entered the room. When she entered the room, we began to laugh.

other situations can be interchanged.