To start ... we have comedy

English as a Second Language English Teacher Explanations (ESL Tests)
1

Test No. [color=blue]incompl/elem-23 “On TV tonight”, question 3

To start … we have comedy.

(a) with
(b) up
(c) out
(d) in

Test No. [color=blue]incompl/elem-23 “On TV tonight”, answer 3

To start with we have comedy.

Correct answer: (a) with
[size=200]_________________________[/size]

hi,
what is the meaning this sentence?

“To start with we have comedy.”
thanks

2

The speaker is looking at a list of programmes on television and says: In the beginning/at first or to start with we can see a comedy programme. You could also use this expression when you are talking about what food you are going to eat: To start with we have soup …

3

.
With is a preposition:

The TV schedule starts with a comedy programme.
The dinner starts with soup.
The dinner ends with nuts.

Up is an adverb:

The motor started up with only a slight hum.
.

4

Hi Enlearnercn,

Further to the answer I gave last year in explaining start with, I should add that start up can be used as follows:

As he wanted to talk to her, he decided the only thing was to start up a conversation about the weather.

In this sentence start up gives the idea beginning something with a certain amount of effort.

Alan

5

I check dictionary and find:start+
(a) with
(b) up
© out
(d) in
all mean “begin” in chinese.What different betwen them?

6

Hi Alan,

I have the same questions with the upper. In English-Chinese dictionary, start up/with/out/in, all these phrases have the same meaning begin. What’s the differences among them?

Looking forward your answers–

Gwen

7

Hi Linda,

The Oxford dictionary put differences these 4 prepositions:

1.with = in the first place
a./ To start with, we haven’t enough money, and secondly we haven’t enough time.
b./ at the beginning= We have only six member to start with.

2.up
a./above; the waterfall above the bridge or waterfall up stream from the bridge
b./ come into existence suddenly or unexpectedly.= Many difficulties have started up.
start sth up,put/ an engine etc./in motion: We couldn’t start up the car.

3.start out / to do sth//, take the first steps : He started out to write a novel.

4.start in on sth/to do sth//colloq/ begin to do it: Poor Jane! She’s started in on a huge pile of ironing

Regards:
Kati Svaby

8

Hello,
Why do we use with and not up?Thanks

9

Hello,

Because it makes no sense in that sentence. ‘To start with’ = first. ‘To start up’ = to begin the process.

Your welcome.

10

Hello people : it’s so diferent English than logical Spanish language we never should saying COMENZAR CON TENEMOS we must admite that it’s your language and you say like that I will try to send my photo I hope to have succes.Bye,bye

11

That’s true, words alone are not sufficient enough. It’s how you put words together that matters.
And various languages differ very much on that score.

12

1)“To start with it’s much too expensive.”
2)" She wasn’t keen on the idea to start with."
“The club had only six members to start with.”

  • Whether the placing of ‘with’ is an indicator of the meaning implied? In another words, placing it at the beginning in 2) would change the meaning completely /and vice versa/?
    Regards.
13

Sometimes there’s no change, but the nuance/context might indicate the following change of meaning:
She wasn’t keen on the idea to start with - she didn’t like the idea when it was first mentioned (she probably still isn’t).
To start with she wasn’t keen on the idea - she didn’t like the idea at first (but she may like it more now).

14

Hi,

Clearly if you put the expression at the beginning of the sentence, you are putting greater emphasis on the expression. In exactly the same way as I have emphasised ‘clearly’ by putting it at the beginning of my sentence.

Alan

15

Hi,

What I meant by the nuance changing the meaning, was this sirt of difference in emphasis, which implies a different meaning, regardless of whether the expression is at the beginning of the sentence or not:

She wasn’t keen on the idea to start with. /To start with she wasn’t keen on the idea. <-- Can indicate that she never liked the idea from the outset and still doesn’t.
She wasn’t keen on the idea to start with. /To start with, she wasn’t keen on the idea. <-- Can indicate that she has come around to the idea since.

16

Thanks both Beees and Alan.

17

So, it’s the comma after ‘with’ /or its absence/ that can deliver the meaning a speaker implied?
Regards.

18

Hi,

I almost follow what you are saying but I think you are stretching it a bit to suggest the meaning or ‘nuance’ as you call it, changes if the position of the phrase alters. If we use ‘initially’ as an alternative, we could have these two sentences:

Initially she took a dsilike to the plan
She took a dislike to the plan initially.

I believe this is really a question of emphasis. And again it is the way you say it.

Alan

19

No, the comma was a typo.

I’m sorry that the waters have become quite muddy around this very reasonable question.

I believe that:
(1) The position of the phrase is likely to change the emphasis placed on the words. [i]though as I indicated in my very first message,

this is not definitely the case, because:[/i]
(2) The emphasis placed on the different words can change the meaning, regardless of the phrase position
however, whatever the case
(3) Punctuation is not the deciding factor.

20

Thank you both Beees and Alan, again and again for your very informative replies. They are very helpful indeed.
Best regards.