Mr.Maru: What are you doing?

Sparky: I'm starting learning karate.

Mr.Maru: Really? Why's that?

Sparky: If someone at the dog school tries to hit me, I can give them a karate chop.

Mr.Maru: That will be very useful. You'll be the strongest dog at school!

Sparky: Yeah, I started realizing that the other dogs are a lot bigger than me.

Mr.Maru: Well, you wanted to go to the school with all the Great Danes.

Sparky: I know. I know.

We went over the use of gerunds and infinitives in an earlier post on remember and forget with infinitives and gerunds.  There are some special rules for using the word 'start' with infinitives (to+verb) and gerunds (~ing form). Do you use the infinitive or the gerund with 'start'? Is there a difference in meaning? Let's find out.

Normal Use of Start (and Begin)

With most verbs and with most situations there is no difference between using the infinitive or the gerund. For example,

I started to learn Japanese.
I started learning Japanese.

These two sentences both have exactly the same meaning. Although, some native speakers will prefer one way over the other.

Progressive Form of Start (and Begin)

When we use the progressive form (be+~ing) of start or being, we usually use the infinitive. For example,

I'm starting to run faster. NOT I'm starting running faster.
I'm beginning to eat a lot more yakiniku (Korean barbecue). NOT I'm beginning eating a lot more yakiniku.

Using Start and Begin with Know, Understand, and Realize

When using the verbs know, understand and realize, we usually use the infinitive form of the verb. For example,

I started to realize I was in trouble when the boat started sinking.
I begin to know I was doing the right thing when I started getting all the awards.

Do you think you understand? Let's take a quick quiz and check.

Quiz

1) I'm starting __________ flower arranging classes every once in awhile.

A) to take

B) taking

C) to taking

2) I began _________ for the Olympics when I was 3.

A) to train

B) training

C) to training

3) I started _________ the reason people take baths before they go to bed. It's so relaxing!

A) to understand

B) understanding

C) to understanding

Answers

1) B) – With the progressive form (be+~ing) we usually use the gerund (~ing) of the verb.

2) A) or B) – Both the gerund and infinitive (to+verb) are okay, and there is no difference in meaning.

3) A) – With the verbs know, understand and realize we usually use the infinitive (to+verb).

Corrected Dialog

Mr.Maru: What are you doing?

Sparky: I'm starting learning to learn karate.

Mr.Maru: Really? Why's that?

Sparky: If someone at the dog school tries to hit me, I can give them a karate chop.

Mr.Maru: That will be very useful. You'll be the strongest dog at school!

Sparky: Yeah, I started realizing to realize that the other dogs are a lot bigger than me.

Mr.Maru: Well, you wanted to go to the school with all the Great Danes.

Sparky: I know. I know.

Thanks for stopping by! Sorry for the 2 week holiday without any posts. I had some trouble with my internet connection. If you have any stumpers, please let me know. Email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Special thanks to Jamie Keddie and Ken Wilson for the input!