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Hello!
大家好!
This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about “start,” “begin,” and “commence.”
本周《名师答疑》，我们回答关于start、begin和commence的问题。
Dear VOA, please let me know the difference between “begin,” “start” and “commence,” and their usage.
亲爱的美国之音，请告诉我start、begin和commence有什么区别，以及怎么使用它们。
Regards, Saeed from Iran.
致以问候，来自伊朗的赛义德。
Thanks for this great question, Saeed!
谢谢你提出这个好问题，赛义德！
These words have similar meanings, but the difference lies in how formal they are and their usage.
这些词有相似的意思，但不同之处在于它们的正式程度和用法。
Let’s take a closer look at each one.
让我们仔细看看每一个单词。
Let’s start with “start!”
我们从start开始！
“Start” can either be a verb or a noun.
start可以是动词，也可以是名词。
As a verb, “start” means to happen or come into being from a particular point in time.
作为动词，start的意思是从某个特定的时间点发生或形成。
I always start my day with a cup of tea.
我总是用一杯茶开始我的一天。
Julie started teaching last year.
朱莉从去年开始教书。
As a noun, “start” has two meanings.
作为名词，start有两层意思。
It can be the point in time when something happens or begins.
可以是某件事发生或开始的时间点。
The start of the race is downtown.
比赛的起点是市中心。
When is the start of the budget year?
预算年度的开始时间是什么时候？
Another meaning is a movement that is sudden or surprising.
另一种意思是突然的或令人惊讶的运动。
Guinea pigs have sudden starts called “popcorning,” like jumping in the air.
豚鼠有一种被叫做“爆米花”的突然惊跳的行为，就是在空中跳起来。
We also use “start” to talk about things like machines and business.
我们也用start来谈论机器和商业之类的事情。
My computer will not start!
我的电脑启动不了！
She started her own business by creating videos on YouTube.
她通过在YouTube上制作视频而创立了自己的生意。
In comparison to the other words, “begin” and “commence,” “start” is the most informal of the three.
与begin和commence这两个词相比，start是这三个词中最不正式的。
“Begin” means the same thing as “start.”
begin和start的意思是一样的。
But remember that “begin” has different spelling in the past tenses: “began” and “begun.”
但请记住，begin在过去时态中拼写不同: began和begun。
Here are some examples:
这里有一些例句：
Regina began as an actor before changing her career to become a director.
雷吉娜最开始是一名演员，后来转行成了导演。
I have begun to work on the class project, but I have yet to finish it.
我已经开始做这个班级项目了，但我还没有做完。
In language, sometimes we say a word “begins” with a certain letter of the alphabet.
在语言中，有时我们说一个单词以字母表中的某个字母“开头”。
We also use it to describe when someone starts to speak.
我们也用begin来描述某人开始讲话。
“I cannot wait for Friday,” she began, “this work week felt so long!”
“我都等不及星期五了，”她开始说，“这个工作周感觉太长了！”
“Commence” means to start or begin.
commence的意思是开始。
The difference is that “commence” is the most formal of the three.
不同之处在于，在这三个词中，commence是最正式的。
We usually use commence when talking about a ceremony or a project.
在谈到仪式或项目时，我们通常用commence。
The graduation ceremony commences at one in the afternoon.
毕业典礼下午一点开始。
The groundbreaking for the new building will commence in the morning.
新大楼的破土动工将于上午开始。
Spring commenced two days ago.
春季是两天前开始的。
Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Saeed!
请让我们知道这些解释和例子是否对你有帮助，赛义德！
And that’s Ask a Teacher.
以上就是本期《名师答疑》。
I’m Faith Pirlo.
我是费思·皮尔洛。
