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begin

v.
A1 Beginner Oxford US //bɪˈɡɪn// UK //bɪɡˈɪn// be·gin Dialect General-service

v. to start doing something or to happen from a specific point in time. You use this when you want to talk about the first part of an action.

v. to start an action, event, or process; to perform the first part of an activity. Often followed by an infinitive or a gerund.


SIMPLE

The movie will begin at eight o'clock.

CONTEXTUAL

We should begin the meeting now so that we can finish everything on the agenda before lunch.

COMPLEX

Although the author intended to begin the novel with a dramatic scene, she eventually decided that a slow, atmospheric introduction would better serve the story's themes.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Usage

The verb is irregular (begin, began, begun). It can be followed by a to-infinitive or an -ing form with little change in meaning.

Pitfall

I have began the workI have begun the workLearners often confuse the past simple 'began' with the past participle 'begun' in perfect tenses.

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