In this quick English vocabulary lesson, Grammar man explains the difference between start and begin.
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GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR ENGLISH GOALS AND LIFE GOALS!
Start is a regular verb - so start, started and started.
Begin is irregular. BEGIN, past tense BEGAN, and past participle BEGUN.
So a few examples of start and begin.
I started reading this book last Wednesday
I began reading this book last Wednesday
It started raining
It began raining
Here, both are correct, no problems. You could use either word with no real difference in meaning.
Now, the 1st difference is: When you want to be more formal, BEGIN is the better word choice.
“What time will the CEO begin his presentation?”
“What time will the CEO start his presentation?” sound a little informal.
So when you want to sound more formal, use BEGIN as opposed to START.
Now, there are some times when it is completely INCORRECT to use these words interchangeably:
When we talk about machines or appliances, we must use START. WE CANNOT USE BEGIN.
I started the car
NOT - I began the car.
Can you please START the computer
NOT can you please BEGIN the computer
My phone won’t start
NOT my phone won’t begin.
That is a clear distinction. When we are talking about machines or appliances, use START.
That’s why when you see a luxury car, they have a START button, not a BEGIN button.
Next rule: Start, not begin, is used when we talk about creating a new business.
She started her own business and apparently, it’s doing well.
NOT: She began her own business and apparently, it’s doing well.
Another distinction: when we talk about taking a trip, we use start:
Let’s start our road trip early in the morning when the traffic is light
We don’t say: Let’s begin our road trip early in the morning…
And 1 final bonus rule: We start a fire, we don’t BEGIN a fire.
So that’s the rules regarding what situations we use begin or start, most of the time they are interchangeable, just be extra careful when you are talking about machines or appliances, that’s the one that really stands out.
We can also use the to-infinitive or the gerund after both start and begin, with no change in meaning. So that’s good news. One less thing to consider!
So I could have said at the start of the video:
When did you start to learn English?
When did you begin to learn English?
OR
When did you start learning English?
When did you begin learning English?
That’s a wrap there English learners, I hope you found that helpful.
That was a question from one of our subscribers on the channel here, and she also asked me about finish and end. I made a separate lesson on that, so be sure to check that out :)
Cheers!