Word Choice Began vs. Begun - Proofread My Papers Academic Blog

Word Choice Began vs. Begun - Proofread My Papers Academic Blog Word Choice: Began vs. Begun Does the English language really need both â€Å"began† and â€Å"begun†? Wouldn’t it be simpler to just have one past tense variation of â€Å"begin†? Of course it would, but nobody ever said English grammar would be easy (in fact, many have said the exact opposite). So what exactly is the difference between â€Å"began† and â€Å"begun†? And why should you try to avoid confusing them in your work? Began (Simple Past Tense) We all know that the verb â€Å"begin† means â€Å"to start,† but whether you use â€Å"began† or â€Å"begun† when describing something that has already started depends on how you phrase your sentence. â€Å"Began† is the simple past tense of â€Å"begin† and typically used when describing an action or process that started in the past, but that has now finished: The Second Boer War began in 1899 and ended in 1902. Back in the days when having a mustache was enough to qualify you as a military commander. This isn’t always the case, as you can use â€Å"began† for an ongoing action or event: The day began well and has gotten better since! But it’s worth remembering that â€Å"began† is most often used for past events that have come to an end, since â€Å"begun† has a slightly different use. Begun (Past Participle) â€Å"Begun† is a past participle, which means it is used in the present perfect tense. This allows us to talk about something which started in the past, but which continues into the present: The lecture had begun only minutes ago, but it felt like hours had passed. Weve all been there [Photo: scottjacksonx]An important factor here is that, like all past participles, â€Å"begun† is always used with a helper verb (e.g., â€Å"has,† â€Å"had† or â€Å"have†). Generally, if a sentence has some variation of â€Å"have† in it, the correct term to use will be â€Å"begun.† We can see the difference between â€Å"began† and â€Å"have begun† if we use both in a similar situation: Past Tense: I began writing my book. Present Perfect Tense: I have begun writing my book. The first of these sentence leaves the current status of the book uncertain (it could be finished, abandoned, or still in progress). The use of â€Å"begun† in the second sentence, on the other hand, clearly signals that the book is still being written. Began or Begun? There are two things to consider when deciding whether to use â€Å"began† or â€Å"begun.† The first is whether your sentence contains a helper verb (usually a variation of â€Å"have†), since this will usually mean you need â€Å"begun.† The second is whether what you are describing has already ended. If so, you will usually need to use â€Å"began.† Remember: Began = Simple past tense Begun = Past participle