i started vs i had started

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'I started' is used to indicate the beginning of an action or activity in the past, while 'I had started' is used to show that an action had already begun before another past action or time. They are not directly comparable as they serve different purposes.

Last updated: March 22, 2024 • 1830 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate the beginning of an action or activity in the past.

"i started"

This phrase is used to describe the initiation of an action or activity in the past. It is simple past tense and does not imply any specific time frame.

Examples:

I started my homework as soon as I got home.
She started learning Spanish last year.
We started the project together.
He started running in the morning.
They started the meeting without me.

Show examples from the web [+]

thx so much for including my cowl masked man in the mix. i started making them for men when my husband expressed annoyance at scarf tails during winter activities like snow shovelling & outdoor sports.
And when I started talking to your teachers...
Cummings recruited me after I started working here.
I started putting things in place yesterday.
I started taking things too personally.
I started studying for the university entrance exam.
For some reason, I started feeling embarrassed onstage.
I started outlining my new book.
I started whistling our SOS song.
I started learning Farsi right away.
Then I started reading all those bridal magazines.
Sorry I started wearing ballet flats and Chuck Taylors.
I started taking the pills after the elevator accident.
After graduating, I started working full-time.
I started October 28th, 1996.
I started playing harpsichord at seven.
I started playing football at Andorinha.
Then I started thinkingbenjamin needs a dad.
So I started interviewing men and asking questions.
So I started reading books in pairs.

Alternatives:

I began
I initiated
I kicked off
I commenced
I launched

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate that an action had already begun before another past action or time.

"i had started"

This phrase is used to show that an action had already begun before another past action or time. It is past perfect tense and indicates a sequence of events in the past.

Examples:

I had started cooking when the guests arrived.
She had started working on the project before the deadline.
We had started the game before it started raining.
He had started reading the book before the movie came out.
They had started the presentation when the power went out.

Show examples from the web [+]

I had started therapy with him.
And I had started to poison my wife.
I had started writing down everything that crossed my mind.
(Tessa) Since I had started dating Ryan shay, i have learned a couple of things - one - he required 30 grams of animal protein at every meal.
I had started smuggling books across the Iron Curtain to Democratic opposition groups in Eastern Europe, like Solidarity in Poland, when I was in my teens.
I had started making a huge drunken scene at a little league Game, then this one shows up on his A.A. High horse and takes the bat out of my hand and Totally story-Blocks me.
and within weeks I had started that regimen.
And then in the 1980's, they determined that one particular cocktail of chemo could be effective, and within weeks I had started that regimen.
Since I had started my career with the Central Statistical Office, the professional experience I gained there for 14 years proved to be a useful basis later.
I had started to forget what your face looked like.
I had started writing this story a couple of days after Larry killed himself, actually.
I had started to develop burns on my face.
I had started a bakery with 20 unwed mothers.
Meanwhile, Stacey and I had started dating.
With 8km to go, I had started to beg.
I had started to get into simplification and analog tape and vintage equipment and that kind of thing.
I don't have the room for this in my house, but I had to finish what I had started.
I had started out with a thousand TEDTalks and I had 600 six-word summaries for those.
Any sympathy I had started to slip away when you said your piece.
I had started work at the beginning of the previous academic year, but my assessment procedure was suspended'.

Alternatives:

I had begun
I had initiated
I had kicked off
I had commenced
I had launched

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i started vs i had started

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