In this paper, it is proposed to drive a single-phase induction motor with a two-phase supply. The two-phase supply is obtained from the conventional single-phase utility supply by using a two-phase inverter. The adverse effects of most of the harmonics associated with the use of the two-phase inverter are alleviated by canceling/attenuating the dominant harmonics in the motor terminal voltages using the selective harmonic elimination (SHE) pulse width modulation (PWM) technique.. The performance of the motor is analyzed using computer simulation and is then compared with that of a conventional single-phase capacitor start induction motor. For a comprehensive comparison, the analysis is performed at both the transient and steady-state cases. Furthermore, frequency analysis is conducted with a view to provide more insight into the operation of the proposed scheme. The proposed mode of operation allows the single-phase induction motor to gain the advantages of the poly-phase motor such as starting torque, less torque harmonics and higher rated power.