commence towards

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "commence towards" is not correct and does not sound natural in written English.
It is generally not used because "commence" already implies starting something, and "towards" is unnecessary in this context. Example: "We will commence the project next week."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

No doubt thrilling, there is much to prepare for by seniors as they commence towards commencement and onto the rest of their lives.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

One of the last episodes of Captain Scarlet to be produced, filming for "Attack on Cloudbase" commenced towards the end of October 1967.

Wikipedia

The land reclamation commenced towards the end of 1941 along with the construction of an RAF camp at the "North Front", now RAF Gibraltar.

Wikipedia

One sibling's parents described a period of three weeks whereby the sibling was quiet and withdrawn commencing towards the end of the support group.

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health

HAART is usually commenced towards the end of a long period of increased TB risk [ 32] and although associated with a reduction in TB incidence, [ 3, 21, 23, 24, 33] this is off-set to some degree by increased survival and consequent longer period at risk.

BMC Infectious Diseases

The two animals, alarmed, commence running towards her in an effort to attack her.

Wikipedia

This paper intends to be a commencing contribution towards a new foundation for complex economic systems modeling, sustained by a plurality of future objectives to be undertaken in a multidisciplinary and mathematically innovative way.

European Journal of Futures Research

Some Israeli government officials opined in 2002 that the armed Fatah sub-group al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades commenced attacks towards Israel in order to compete with Hamas.

Wikipedia

"I can therefore advise parliament that the Scottish government has advised the current owners of our intention to commence a process towards acquisition of Prestwick airport.

The Guardian

She added: "I can therefore advise parliament that the Scottish government has advised the current owners of our intention to commence a process towards acquisition of Prestwick Airport.

BBC

It has been reported (Rice et al., 1998; Trommsdorff et al., 1999), and confirmed in our present in situ hybridization experiments, that Dab1 is also expressed in the MGE, where interneurons commence their migration towards the cortex.

European Journal of Neuroscience

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using "commence towards" in formal writing. Replace it with clearer and more grammatically accepted alternatives like "begin to move towards" or "start approaching".

Common error

Do not combine "commence" with directional words like "towards". "Commence" already implies the beginning of an action; adding "towards" creates unnecessary repetition.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "commence towards" functions as a verb phrase intended to denote the initiation of movement or progress in a particular direction. However, it's considered grammatically awkward. Ludwig AI points out that "commence" already implies starting something.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Wiki

33%

Science

33%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "commence towards" attempts to convey the initiation of movement or progress in a certain direction. However, it's generally considered grammatically incorrect due to the redundancy of "commence" already implying a beginning. Ludwig AI confirms this, suggesting that "commence" doesn't need the addition of "towards". While examples exist across News & Media, Wiki, and Science sources, its usage is rare and should be avoided in favor of clearer alternatives like "begin to move towards" or "start approaching". Using these alternatives enhances clarity and grammatical correctness.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

begin to move towards

Replaces "commence" with "begin" for simplicity, retaining the directional aspect.

start moving toward

Uses "start" instead of "commence", making it more accessible, and retains the directional element.

begin approaching

Combines the initiation of an action with the concept of nearing a destination.

start to approach

Offers a slightly more informal alternative, replacing "commence" with "start".

initiate movement toward

Uses a more formal tone while maintaining the sense of beginning and direction.

commence moving in the direction of

Retains "commence" but clarifies the directional aspect with a more explicit phrase.

start a journey toward

Emphasizes the start of a longer process with a defined destination.

begin a process of approaching

Highlights the beginning of a gradual movement closer to something.

initiate progress toward

Focuses on the start of advancement toward a goal or location.

undertake steps towards

Emphasizes the initiation of specific actions with a directional focus.

FAQs

Is "commence towards" grammatically correct?

No, "commence towards" is generally considered incorrect. The verb "commence" already implies starting something, so adding "towards" is redundant. Use alternatives like "begin to move towards" or "start approaching" instead.

What can I say instead of "commence towards"?

You can use alternatives such as "begin to move towards", "start moving toward", or "begin approaching" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "commence towards" or "commence moving towards"?

"Commence moving towards" is better than "commence towards", although still somewhat verbose. A more concise alternative would be "start moving toward" or "begin approaching".

When is it appropriate to use "commence"?

Use "commence" when you want to formally indicate the beginning of an action or process. For example, "We will commence the meeting at 9 AM". However, avoid combining it with directional words like "towards".