Begin, Start, Commence

2023-03-25

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1
  • Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about "start," "begin," and "commence."
  • 2
  • Dear VOA,
  • 3
  • Please let me know the difference between "begin," "start" and "commence," and their usage.
  • 4
  • Regards,
  • 5
  • Saeed from Iran
  • 6
  • Thanks for this great question, Saeed!
  • 7
  • These words have similar meanings, but the difference lies in how formal they are and their usage.
  • 8
  • Let's take a closer look at each one. Let's start with "start!"
  • 9
  • "Start" can either be a verb or a noun.
  • 10
  • As a verb, "start" means to happen or come into being from a particular point in time.
  • 11
  • I always start my day with a cup of tea.
  • 12
  • Julie started teaching last year.
  • 13
  • As a noun, "start" has two meanings.
  • 14
  • It can be the point in time when something happens or begins.
  • 15
  • The start of the race is downtown.
  • 16
  • When is the start of the budget year?
  • 17
  • Another meaning is a movement that is sudden or surprising.
  • 18
  • Guinea pigs have sudden starts called "popcorning," like jumping in the air.
  • 19
  • We also use "start" to talk about things like machines and business.
  • 20
  • My computer will not start!
  • 21
  • She started her own business by creating videos on YouTube.
  • 22
  • In comparison to the other words, "begin" and "commence," "start" is the most informal of the three.
  • 23
  • "Begin" means the same thing as "start." But remember that "begin" has different spelling in the past tenses - "began" and "begun." Here are some examples:
  • 24
  • Regina began as an actor before changing her career to become a director.
  • 25
  • I have begun to work on the class project, but I have yet to finish it.
  • 26
  • In language, sometimes we say a word "begins" with a certain letter of the alphabet.
  • 27
  • We also use it to describe when someone starts to speak.
  • 28
  • "I cannot wait for Friday," she began, "this work week felt so long!"
  • 29
  • "Commence" means to start or begin.
  • 30
  • The difference is that "commence" is the most formal of the three.
  • 31
  • We usually use commence when talking about a ceremony or a project.
  • 32
  • The graduation ceremony commences at one in the afternoon.
  • 33
  • The groundbreaking for the new building will commence in the morning.
  • 34
  • Spring commenced two days ago.
  • 35
  • Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Saeed!
  • 36
  • What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
  • 37
  • And that's Ask a Teacher.
  • 38
  • I'm Faith Pirlo.
  • 1
  • Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about "start," "begin," and "commence."
  • 2
  • Question:
  • 3
  • Dear VOA,
  • 4
  • Please let me know the difference between "begin," "start" and "commence," and their usage.
  • 5
  • Regards,
  • 6
  • Saeed from Iran
  • 7
  • Answer
  • 8
  • Thanks for this great question, Saeed!
  • 9
  • These words have similar meanings, but the difference lies in how formal they are and their usage. Let's take a closer look at each one. Let's start with "start!"
  • 10
  • Start
  • 11
  • "Start" can either be a verb or a noun. As a verb, "start" means to happen or come into being from a particular point in time.
  • 12
  • I always start my day with a cup of tea.
  • 13
  • Julie started teaching last year.
  • 14
  • As a noun, "start" has two meanings. It can be the point in time when something happens or begins.
  • 15
  • The start of the race is downtown.
  • 16
  • When is the start of the budget year?
  • 17
  • Another meaning is a movement that is sudden or surprising.
  • 18
  • Guinea pigs have sudden starts called "popcorning," like jumping in the air.
  • 19
  • We also use "start" to talk about things like machines and business.
  • 20
  • My computer will not start!
  • 21
  • She started her own business by creating videos on YouTube.
  • 22
  • In comparison to the other words, "begin" and "commence," "start" is the most informal of the three.
  • 23
  • Begin
  • 24
  • "Begin" means the same thing as "start." But remember that "begin" has different spelling in the past tenses - "began" and "begun." Here are some examples:
  • 25
  • Regina began as an actor before changing her career to become a director.
  • 26
  • I have begun to work on the class project, but I have yet to finish it.
  • 27
  • In language, sometimes we say a word "begins" with a certain letter of the alphabet. We also use it to describe when someone starts to speak.
  • 28
  • "I cannot wait for Friday," she began, "this work week felt so long!"
  • 29
  • Commence
  • 30
  • "Commence" means to start or begin. The difference is that "commence" is the most formal of the three. We usually use commence when talking about a ceremony or a project.
  • 31
  • The graduation ceremony commences at one in the afternoon.
  • 32
  • The groundbreaking for the new building will commence in the morning.
  • 33
  • Spring commenced two days ago.
  • 34
  • Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Saeed!
  • 35
  • What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
  • 36
  • And that's Ask a Teacher.
  • 37
  • I'm Faith Pirlo.
  • 38
  • Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.
  • 39
  • _________________________________________________________________
  • 40
  • Words in This Story
  • 41
  • formal - adj. following or according with established form, custom, or rule
  • 42
  • particular - adj. used to indicate that one specific person or thing is being referred to and no others
  • 43
  • graduation - n. the act of receiving a diploma from a school, college or university
  • 44
  • __________________________________________________________________
  • 45
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  • 46
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