Begin and Start

Can anyone help me? I need to know the main difference between BEGIN and START. I've tried dictionaries, but they don't help much. Thank you soooo much.

Originally Posted by Criss

Can anyone help me? I need to know the main difference between BEGIN and START. I've tried dictionaries, but they don't help much. Thank you soooo much.

I hate to say this but there really is no difference.

It's like another topic someone posted about using "can" and "may" for questions or permission. There may have been rules surrounding the use of begin and start but those rules no longer seem to be in effect.

Sometimes sentences just sound better using begin or start. You can use the gerund or the infinitive of a verb with either word.

start working
begin working
start to work
begin to work

They all make sense. Keep in mind that with words like this (work and play are also common ones) you sometimes have to interperse the gerund of the verb and one of its many conjugated forms.

You can start reading a book from the beginning. You can begin to do a task from start to finish. The point at which you begin to run a race is its starting point. The time at which you start eating is the same time at which you begin eating.

I hope this helps you. :(

-Nah-

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by Criss

Can anyone help me? I need to know the main difference between BEGIN and START. I've tried dictionaries, but they don't help much. Thank you soooo much.

Try this site: Click here.

Originally Posted by Azar Grammar online

People, and most dictionaries, consider start and begin to be synonyms, as in the following pairs of sentences:

(a) It’s starting to rain.
(b) It’s beginning to rain.
(c) When Katherine heard the news, she started to cry.
(d) When Katherine heard the news, she began to cry.
(e) The movie starts at 7:00.
(f) The movie begins at 7:00.

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Houghton Mifflin, 1996) notes that only start, not begin, can imply setting out from a specific point, frequently following inaction, as in sentence (g) below:

(g) Stand here and visit with me for a few minutes until the train starts.

The same source notes that begin often means to take the first step in performing or to come into being.

Michael Swan (Practical English Usage, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 1995) lists these instances in which start, but NOT begin, is used:

1. start a journey:

I think we ought to start at six, while the roads are empty.

2. start working (for machines):

The car won’t start.

3. make (machines) start:

How do you start the washing machine?”

So, while in most instances start and begin are interchangeable, in a few cases, such as those described above, only start is possible.

Source

[Criss]

THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'VE LEARNED A LOT TODAY! :D

Originally Posted by Nahualli

I hate to say this but there really is no difference.

It's like another topic someone posted about using "can" and "may" for questions or permission. There may have been rules surrounding the use of begin and start but those rules no longer seem to be in effect.

Sometimes sentences just sound better using begin or start. You can use the gerund or the infinitive of a verb with either word.

start working
begin working
start to work
begin to work

They all make sense. Keep in mind that with words like this (work and play are also common ones) you sometimes have to interperse the gerund of the verb and one of its many conjugated forms.

You can start reading a book from the beginning. You can begin to do a task from start to finish. The point at which you begin to run a race is its starting point. The time at which you start eating is the same time at which you begin eating.

I hope this helps you. :(

-Nah-

[Criss]

YOU'VE HELPED ME A LOT! THANK YOU VERY MUCH :D

Originally Posted by Casiopea

Try this site: Click here.

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by Criss

YOU'VE HELPED ME A LOT! THANK YOU VERY MUCH :D

You're welcome. :D