A fresh new start

Well, folks, I've been busy over the last month and I haven't been able to write anything! Too bad! Well, last year's last entry was about expressions related to the end, so now I think it is feasible to write one with expressions related to the beginning of something. I think it is a great idea, given that the year 2019 is at its  beginning and there are countless opportunities to start something new. Let's see some expressions related to new beginnings:

1. Beginner's luck

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE15YGNodb4 

This idiom refers to the fact that newbies frequently have a streak of luck when they try something (game, challenge....) for the first time, and for the first time only.

2. A fresh new start

From: https://8tracks.com/musicthatisntbad/fresh-new-start

This expression is used when you have a new opportunity at something. 

3. A new beginning

From: https://www.123rf.com/photo_69321701_today-is-a-new-beginning-hand-lettering-motivational-message.html

Like in the previous example, a new beginning is yet another opportunity to do something. 

4. To start anew / to start afresh

From: https://quotefancy.com/quote/1348970/Georgia-O-Keeffe-I-decided-to-start-anew-to-strip-away-what-I-had-been-taught

This is a useful expression when you want to stop doing something and start it again in a different way.

5. Wipe the slate clean

From: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/481533385137783104/

This idiom is used to eliminate all your previous thoughts or ideas and start anew.

6. Start over

From: https://thebloomingjasmine.com/tag/starting-over/

When you add the adverb 'over' to the verb start, it means that you want to make a new beginning. 

7. From scratch

From: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/305611524704649861/

To do something out of nothing, from the very beginning.

8. Freshers / freshman year

From: https://www.yusu.org/events/70012/vanbrugh-freshers-2018

In the UK system, a fresher is the person studying at university during the first university year. 

9. Once upon a time...

From: https://www.signature-gifts.com/product/once-upon-a-time-collection-of-fairy-tales/

This entry wouldn't be complete without the widely-known phrase used to begin most fairy tales... How nostalgic!

10. Verbs and expressions related to beginnings

There are a lot of verbs related to new beginnings:

- Begin
- Start
- Commence
- Initiate
- Originate: This verb is intransitive, that means it has no direct object, for example, 'a storm originated' (not 'they originated a storm')

Other verbs are partially related to this new beginning:
- Inaugurate (start a new business, shop...)
- Introduce a new idea in the market. 
- Launch a new product

11. Linkers and conjuncts related to beginnings

To structure your speech, you can use a great deal of expressions related to beginning:
- First,
- Firstly,
- First of all,
- In the first place
- At first,
- At the (very) beginning,
- To start with,
- To begin with,
- For starters,
- As a starting point,
- First and foremost  (to indicate that the first thing you are going to mention is the most important one, i.e. there are a lot of reasons to study English. First and foremost, English is useful in international communication...)

Well, now that you have learnt some more expressions related to new beginnings, it is your turn to start anew: take up a new hobby, try something new, embark on new projects and be optimistic!
See you around.