"start + to + verb" and " start + present par

[zeppy]

From below dialogue ,What's the difference between "start + to + verb" and " start + present participle" here? and what's the red highlights ? thanks for your always help!

Man :All of a sudden, the phone starts to ring. Now I don't know what to do, everybody starts looking at me.

Woman:And they weren't looking at you before?!

Man :Finally, I figure I'd better answer it, and it turns out it's my mother, which is very-very weird, because- she never calls me!

 

[RonBee]

Re: "start + to + verb" and " start + present

From below dialogue ,What's the difference between "start + to + verb" and " start + present participle" here? and what's the red highlights ? thanks for your always help!

Man :All of a sudden, the phone starts to ring. Now I don't know what to do, everybody starts looking at me.

A phone either rings or it doesn't. It can't start to ring. When we "start to" do something we begin to do it but we don't actually do it. On the other hand, when we "start doing" something we are actually doing it. We may continue doing it or we may be interrupted, but we are actually doing it.

Man :Finally, I figure I'd better answer it, and it turns out it's my mother, which is very-very weird, because- she never calls me!

"I figure I'd better answer it" means the person decides to answer the phone. The phrase "it turns out that it's my mother" means that he realizes that it's his mother on the phone.