begin
Primary: verbCan function as: verb, noun
The noun form is derived from the verb through zero derivation
๐ Pronunciation
/bษชหษกษชn/
Syllables: be-gin
Stress: second syllable stress
Regular pronunciation, no common variants
๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆ Word Family
| Word Class | Forms |
|---|---|
| Verbs | begin, begins, began, begun, beginning |
| Nouns | begin, beginning |
| Adjectives | beginning |
The form 'beginning' is more common as a noun than 'begin'
๐ฏ Verb Forms
| Infinitive: | to begin |
| Base form: | begin |
| 3rd person singular: | begins |
| Past simple: | began |
| Past participle: | begun |
| Present participle: | beginning |
| Gerund: | beginning |
Note: Irregular past (began) and past participle (begun)
๐ Meanings & Definitions
Noun Meanings
1
the point in time or space at which something starts
Countability: countable
“The begin of the movie was exciting”
“From the begin, we knew it would be difficult”
Common collocations: from the begin, at the begin
Synonyms: start, commencement, beginning
Antonyms: end, finish, conclusion
formalgeneral
Verb Meanings
1
to start doing something or to come into existence
Aspect: action | Continuous: Yes
“The meeting begins at 9:00”
“They began working on the project”
“It began to rain”
Synonyms: start, commence, initiate
neutralgeneral
2
to take the first step or make a start
Aspect: action | Continuous: Yes
“Let's begin!”
“Where should I begin?”
Synonyms: start off, get going
neutralgeneral
๐ง Verb Patterns
begin + to-infinitive
“The children began to cry”
Note: Common pattern, interchangeable with gerund
begin + gerund
“It began raining”
Note: Common pattern, interchangeable with to-infinitive
begin + noun phrase
“We began the meeting”
Note: Direct object must be an activity or process
Transitivity
Type: both
Passive possible: Yes
Passive examples:
“The meeting was begun on time”
๐ค Collocations
โ ๏ธ Common Errors
โ The movie will begins at 8โโ The movie will begin at 8
Base form needed after modal verb
Medium impact
โ I begin the course last weekโโ I began the course last week
Past tense irregular form needed
High impact
โ She begins study Englishโโ She begins studying/to study English
Gerund or infinitive needed after begin
High impact
๐ Etymology
Origin: Old English 'beginnan', from Proto-Germanic '*beginnan'
Original meaning: “to open, to start”
Development: Maintained consistent meaning throughout history
Related words in other languages: Dutch 'beginnen', German 'beginnen'