Sentence:  Mr. Cooke at once <WSD>began</WSD> a tirade against the residents of Asquith for permitting a sandy and generally disgraceful condition of the roads. So roundly did he vituperate the inn management in particular, and with such a loud flow of words, that I trembled lest he should be heard on the veranda. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To start, to initiate or take the first step into something.