He started played vs He started to play

The correct phrase is "he started to play." The infinitive form of the verb "to play" is needed after the verb "started." The phrase "he started played" is incorrect and not used in English.

Last updated: March 27, 2024 • 2108 views

This phrase is incorrect in English. The verb "played" should be in the infinitive form after the verb "started."

"He started played"

The correct structure is "he started to play." Use the infinitive form of the verb (to + base form) after the verb "started."

Show examples from the web [+]

We started and played at various service clubs on the post.
A few women have removed or raised their burka, some men have had a shave, music has started to be played again, but there is fear of punishment and vendettas.
He played this music, sure, but something happened to him and he started drinking and drinking and never stopped...
He was younger than me when he started playing piano, and I wanted to play the piano, but so many kids played it, and there's only one at school, so it's hard to get practice time in.
Troy just - He started gasping.
He started working here right after college.
Before he started canceling Wyatt Industries' contracts.
Then he started having trouble at work.
He started recruiting Charlie in junior high.
He started writing one for me.
Anyway... He started to drink real bad.
He hated it, Richie, he started yelling about N.A.F.T.A.
And then he started with different artifacts.
He started working here while he was incarcerated.
Then he started uttering the constellations.
He started a war against the chairman.
He started losing it towards the end.
Actually, Detective, he started speaking.
He started saying that I deserved better.
But then he started acting strange.

Alternatives:

he started to play
he began playing
he initiated the game
he commenced playing
he kicked off the game

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English. It follows the standard structure of using the infinitive form of the verb after the verb "started."

"He started to play"

Use this phrase when describing the beginning of an action or activity. The structure is "started + to + base form of the verb."

Examples:

He started to play the piano.
She started to run in the park.
They started to study for the exam.
The children started to build a sandcastle.
We started to cook dinner.

Show examples from the web [+]

He started to play with this poor soul...
Ray sat down next to her at the piano and he started to play.
On the other hand, Mozart was three when he started to play the piano, - and he was composing at six.
Then he saw that I was attracted to him when... as they say, when did these kind of foreplays... when we went to bed, he started to play with me. kissing me everywhere... my neck... and everything.
I started to play more freely.
And the band started to play...
They started to play ABBA, I tried to dance on the chair, but fell off.
Mr. McCoy brought the girls to see Tracey, everything was going fine, and then the youngest one started to play around a little bit.
- How she grew up, when she started to play soccer.
This past year, she started to play them back to the elephants.
Ever since I started to play chess, my power of thinking has grown a hundredfold.
Civil society has tentatively started to play its role, but this is usually based on foreign financing while know-how and credibility are absent in some cases.
5.7.2 Civil society [10] has tentatively started to play its role, but this is usually based on foreign financing while know-how and credibility are absent in some cases.
So the Vangelis music started to play, the seats started to rumble and we ran through the thing.
And I didn't know it until I started to play.
After that, we started to play chess together twice,
Stations on Long Island, WDRE, started to play us, underground, alternative stations.
Friends, since the stump's been here a long time, and has only just started to play music, it can only mean one thing.
More and more countries are becoming involved in space projects, with space having started to play an increasingly large role in our lives.
There's been something odd about him, ever since he started that play and now...

Alternatives:

he began playing
he initiated the game
he commenced playing
he kicked off the game
he got into playing

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He started played vs He started to play