Learn Spanish (Latin America): De repente, el comediante se puso a gritar.

Both mean "started to," but ponerse a followed by an infinitive is a very common phrase that adds a specific flavor. It often implies a sudden, spontaneous, or sometimes slightly unexpected change in action. Here, it emphasizes that the comedian broke into shouting on impulse.

Does the phrase de repente usually trigger the preterite tense?

Yes! De repente means "suddenly." Because it describes an action that begins or happens at a specific, unexpected moment in the past, it almost always triggers the preterite tense (like se puso) rather than the imperfect.

Do I always need the word a after se puso when talking about starting an action?

Yes. When you use ponerse to mean "to start doing something," the formula is always ponerse a plus an infinitive (like gritar). If you drop the a, the sentence will be grammatically incorrect.

The word comediante ends in an "e". How do I say "comedian" if it's a woman?

Nouns ending in -ante are usually the same for both masculine and feminine. To talk about a female comedian, you simply change the article to match: la comediante.