about order
start doing something (present tense of start)
begin to do something ( present tense of begin)
will begin doing something (future tense of begin)
began doing something (past tense of begin)
start to do ( present tense of start)

order: from the most commonly used one to the less used one)

Please correct me if I am wrong.
to start is less formal than to begin,
and start doing something seems to be very common.

Question

about order
start doing something (present tense of start)
begin to do something ( present tense of begin)
will begin doing something (future tense of begin)
began doing something (past tense of begin)
start to do ( present tense of start)

order: from the most commonly used one to the less used one)

Please correct me if I am wrong.
to start is less formal than to begin, 
and start doing something seems to be very common.

Answer

They're the same, but begin can sound more formal.  I use "start" if the listener doesn't know to perform the action, "begin" otherwise.  For example, I could tell my boss "Start writing" or "Start taking notes" if he doesn't realize we need to write down information.  I could also say "Begin cooking" or "Begin writing" if this is a competition and I am instructing people.  Begin does sound softer than Start, but in any formal situation you could certainly say "You may begin" or "You may start".  I find myself using "start" more often, regardless of formality.

Answers · 2

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