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This question is in regard to the difference between the verb mount and stage in a particular sense of them. I would like to ask whether there is any difference in between these two following phrases.

  1. mount a protest: e.g. The workers mounted a protest against the proposed changes in their contracts.

  2. stage a protest: e.g. The workers staged a protest against the proposed changes in their contracts.

If there seems to be any difference, for instance, as in the actual point in time the protest begins, may I ask you to explain them?

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In this context, the two phrases are synonymous with "to arrange" and are usually (but not always) regional.

Mount a protest: to mount a protest/campaign/an exhibition (Oxford Learner's Dictionary, British)

Stage a protest: "How to Stage a Protest," The Guardian (British) U.S. Edition

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  • Thank you for answering that two are synonymous with the meaning to arrange and the links you provided.
    – Smart Humanism
    Commented Apr 13, 2019 at 6:48
  • The definition stated in Oxford Learner's Dictionary is to organize and BEGIN something. Though, this can be another question outside the original fashion, is there really a nuance of beginning or starting the event like protest, campaign right away? How is it compared to begin a protest or start a protest?
    – Smart Humanism
    Commented Apr 13, 2019 at 6:48
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    @SmartHumanism, There's no difference. Both mean "to start, to bring to pass, to begin," etc. I believe you're looking for a distinction that isn't that specific. When used in the past tense, both words (mounted, staged) refer to the entire protest, not simply the beginning of the protest. We could say, "he'll stage a meeting" (when we usually say "he'll hold a meeting") and it wouldn't change the intrinsic meaning, that a meeting will occur (beginning, middle, and end), not simply the beginning (but not the middle or end).
    – JBH
    Commented Apr 13, 2019 at 14:05
  • Thank you for your detailed, kind explanation, JBH. I appreciate it. I understood you in that mount and stage both include the course of beginning and there is no quite apparent distinction whatsoever. But, when it comes to more exact timing of something starting, if a group of people are staging or mounting a protest right now, does it mean they have just begun the protest, or they're are still in the last end of preparing and just about to initiate the protest?
    – Smart Humanism
    Commented Apr 14, 2019 at 19:28
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    @SmartHumanism, that's a good observation. The verb phrases "are staging" and "are mounting" can refer to either a (e.g.) protest that will occur in the very near future, a protest that has just begun, or a protest that is on-going. The only way to know the difference is through the context of the sentence. The verb phrases themselves convey no such detail.
    – JBH
    Commented Apr 14, 2019 at 19:38
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I would say that there is no significant difference. "Stage" perhaps emphasizes the organization of the protest a bit, but that nuance is very subtle. Mostly a pure stylistic choice, with no change of meaning.

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