began

The child began to draw a picture of a house.

Definition

Began is the simple past tense form of the verb begin. It is used to indicate that an action, event, or process started at a specific point in the past and has since ended or continued from that point.

Part of Speech: Verb (past tense)

Usage Examples

• (She started her studies at that time in the past.)
• (The concert started at exactly 8 PM.)
• (He started to experience tiredness at that past moment.)
• (They started the construction activity in the past.)

Advanced Usage

• "began to + verb": Used to describe the start of an action or state.
  • The sky began to darken as the storm approached. (The darkening process started.)
• "began + noun phrase": Used to indicate the start of an event or activity.
  • The company began operations in 1995. (The company started its business activities.)
• "began with": Used to specify the first element of a sequence.
  • The ceremony began with a speech from the president. (The first part of the ceremony was the speech.)

Variants and Related Words

• Begin (verb, base form): to start.
  • I want to begin my project tomorrow.
• Begun (verb, past participle): used with auxiliary verbs like or .
  • She has begun her homework.
• Beginning (noun/verb): the start or starting point.
  • The beginning of the story was exciting. (noun)

Synonyms

• Started: to have begun.
  • He started the car.
• Commenced: to have formally begun (more formal).
  • The meeting commenced at noon.
• Initiated: to have set something in motion.
  • The project was initiated last year.

Phrasal Verbs

• Begin with: to start by doing or using something.
  • Let's begin with a simple exercise. (Start with that first step.)
• Begin again: to start over after stopping.
  • After the interruption, she began again from the middle of the sentence. (She resumed from that point.)

Related Idioms

• "Well begun is half done": A proverb meaning that a good start makes completing a task easier.
  • He made a detailed plan, and as they say, well begun is half done. (The careful start helped the project succeed.)
• "To begin with": Used to introduce the first point in a series.
  • To begin with, we need to discuss the budget. (First of all, we discuss the budget.)