Is there at the start and finishes (7)
I believe the answer is:
attends
'is there' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.
'at the start and finishes' is the wordplay.
'start' says to take the initial letters.
'and' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'finishes' becomes 'ends' ('end' can be a synonym of 'finish').
The first letter of 'the' is 't'.
'at'+'t'+'ends'='ATTENDS'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for attends that I've seen before include "to listen carefully" , "Waits on or is present" , "Pays attention" , "Listens" , "ministers" .)