What's the Difference Between 'Began' and 'Begun'?
In this blog post we look at when to use began and when to use begun.
'Began' or 'Begun'?
Begun and began are two forms of the same verb: "begin". Begun is the past participle form of "begin", while began is the simple past tense form of "begin".
The verb "begin" means to start or commence something.
In general, the simple past tense form "began" is used to describe an action that started and was completed in the past.
The past participle form "begun" is used in past perfect tense to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past. For example: "I had begun to feel sick before the party started." (begun: past participle form of "begin")
Here are a few examples of sentences that use the words "begun" and "began":
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"He had begun to feel sick, so he went home early." (begun: past participle form of "begin")
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"The project began last month and is scheduled to be completed in six months." (began: simple past tense form of "begin")
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"She had begun to feel better after taking the medicine." (begun: past participle form of "begin")
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"The party began at 7:00 PM and lasted until midnight." (began: simple past tense form of "begin")
Examples of Began in a Sentence
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"The concert began at 7:00 PM and lasted until 10:00 PM."
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"The meeting began with a brief introduction by the CEO."
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"The game began with a kickoff from the home team."
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"The movie began with a dramatic opening scene."
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"The storm began with a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder."
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"The hike began at the trailhead and ended at the summit."
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"The journey began at the airport and ended at the destination."
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"The presentation began with a slide show and ended with a Q&A session."
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"The party began with a potluck dinner and ended with a game of charades."
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"The race began with a countdown from the starting line."
Examples of Begun in a Sentence
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"I had already begun packing my bags when the phone rang."
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"She had begun to feel better after taking the medicine."
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"He had begun to feel nervous before the test started."
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"They had begun to set up the decorations before we arrived."
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"I had begun to feel homesick before the end of the trip."
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"She had begun to feel overwhelmed by the workload before the deadline."
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"He had begun to feel anxious before the interview."
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"They had begun to lose hope before the rescue team arrived."
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"I had begun to feel hungry before the party started."
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"She had begun to feel tired before the end of the hike."
