set about vs commence

set about and commence both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
set about	No	No	Yes	No
commence	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, set about and commence are synonyms defined as:

set about and commence: take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

Other synonyms of set about include begin, get, get down, set out, start, start out.

set about (verb)	commence (verb)
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action	take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
enter upon an activity or enterprise	set in motion, cause to start
begin to deal with	get off the ground