When I was asking a question on Academia, I came up with this question:
Should I use "start with" or "begin with"
If I use "begin with", what will be the difference between "begin" and "begin with", and likewise for using "start with" and "start":
(1): How to begin with the meeting with my former teacher...
(2): How to begin the meeting with my former teacher...
(3): How to start with the meeting with my former teacher...
(4): How to start the meeting with my former teacher...
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
In the case of (2) and (4), these are OK and have about the same meaning.
In the case of (1) and (3), you can't really say this with "meeting" alone.
But this usage could be used to start a list of items. For example:
In order to make the cake, begin/start with the cake flour, then add the butter and eggs.
Though maybe if you are working on an agenda:
We need to start with the meeting, then go to the production line.
In general (AmE), I think the usage of start and begin are about the same, though in some contexts one may be a more commonly used than the other.
In 5 minutes we will start the race.
