When I first came across BASIC in the 70's it was known for three things in particular: (i) being interpreted rather than compiled, (ii) having these MAT commands, and (iii) being simpler and beginner friendly than FORTRAN or Algol.
The MAT commands seem to have been dropped from most later versions.
(It was at first a compiled language, but it really took off once interpreters become available on time-share systems. It was probably that aspect, rather than the syntax, which made it more suited to beginners).
When I first came across BASIC in the 70's it was known for three things in particular: (i) being interpreted rather than compiled, (ii) having these MAT commands, and (iii) being simpler and beginner friendly than FORTRAN or Algol.
The MAT commands seem to have been dropped from most later versions.
(It was at first a compiled language, but it really took off once interpreters become available on time-share systems. It was probably that aspect, rather than the syntax, which made it more suited to beginners).