Basic Details
Word: Commenced
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Began or started. It is a formal word, used mostly in announcements, notices and official writing.
Synonyms: began, started, opened, launched
Antonyms: ended, concluded, finished
How to Spell Commenced
Syllables: com - menced
Tricky part: There is a double m, and the soft sound before -ed is a c, not an s. Comenced and commensed are the usual mistakes.
Watch out for: comenced, commensed, commenst
Memory tip: The end of commence is spelt like fence: -ence. Keep the mm of com, then write mence and add d.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The annual sports meet commenced with a march past by all four houses.
Example 2: Repair work on the flyover commenced last Monday.
Example 3: The concert commenced only after the chief guest lit the lamp.
Fun Fact
Many American universities call their graduation ceremony commencement, because it marks the start of the graduates' working lives.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word commenced as used in the sentence:
The examination commenced at nine o'clock sharp in the main hall.
a) started
b) opened
c) concluded
d) began
Show answer
c) concluded. The exam began at nine; concluded would mean it ended then.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Work on the new metro line commensed in March, and the first trains are expected to run within two years.
a) metro
b) commensed
c) expected
d) within
Show answer
b) commensed. Commence ends in -ence, so the soft sound before -ed is written with a c.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
Once the monsoon session ccdmeenmo, the members debated the new water bill.
a) commanded
b) commended
c) commenced
d) condemned
Show answer
c) commenced. Only one d appears, so commended and condemned, which each need two, are ruled out; commanded needs an a.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Where would you most likely read the word commenced?
a) in an official notice about a meeting
b) on a shopping list
c) in a nursery rhyme
d) in a text message to a friend
Show answer
a) in an official notice about a meeting
2. Which pair of words are opposites?
a) begin and start
b) commence and cease
c) cease and halt
d) commence and begin
Show answer
b) commence and cease
