Phrasal Verbs with SET: set up, set in, set to...

Hi. Welcome back to www.engvid.com. I'm Adam.

Today's lesson is about phrasal verbs.

We're going to look at the phrasal verbs with "set". Okay?

Again, a phrasal verb is a verb and a preposition that together have a very different meaning

than the two words individually. Okay?

Not the literal meaning. So we're going to look at:

"set up", "set in", "to", "on", "down", "against", "aside",

"back", "apart", "out", "off", and "about"

-those are similar so I put them together-and this is an idiom,

it's not a phrasal verb, but I thought I would throw it in there: "to set someone straight".

Okay, let's start with "set up". "Set up" has quite a few meanings. Okay?

We set up something, for example, a display. It means we build it, we construct it, or we put it together.

So I want to... For example, I want to display a painting,

so I set up the easel, the display.

I build it, I put it all together, and then I put the painting on top of that.

Okay? In a similar way, we build a business. Okay? So we set up a business.

Sometimes we say we "set up shop".

We set up shop; we start a business. We also use "set up shop" as a

slang expression, it means to start doing something like a professional, but depends

on the context for that.

Now, you can also set someone up, means to arrange a meeting or create, like, a date.

So, I have a single friend, a guy, and my... My girlfriend has a single girlfriend, and

we set them up. It means we bring them together, we say: "Oh, let's go out for dinner", we

all meet together, and then we introduce them, and maybe they go on a date later. So we arrange

this meeting, we set them up for a date. You can also set someone up, meaning, like,

frame them. This is usually in terms of crimes. So I want this person to go to jail, so I

will set them up. I will put some drugs in their office, and I will call the police and say:

"Oh, this guy has drugs." The police will come, they will check,

they will find the drugs, and they will arrest this person.

So I set him up for arrest. Okay?

Now, I put here the "to", because we can say we... "You set someone up to", verb.

What this means is you put them in a position. So, for example, I have a child and if I don't

educate my child properly, then I am setting him up to fail in the future. Why? Because

he doesn't have the tools to succeed. You can also say... You can make it a noun, you

can say: "set up" or "set someone up for failure".

Put them in that position that the only thing

that can happen is they will fail. Okay? So that is "set up".

"Set in". "Set in" basically means, like, take hold. But not like physically holding

with your hand. Something captures or catches the thing it's meant to do. So here's an example:

I'm walking through the jungle, I'm trekking through the jungle and a snake bites me. It's

a poisonous snake. So the poison enters my arm, goes into the bloodstream, and starts

to move. I'm okay, nothing happens. I'm walking, I think I should go to the hospital. But soon,

the poison sets in. It takes hold of the body, of my system, and suddenly I can't move, and

I fall to the ground. Or if you're in a dangerous situation, at the beginning, you think:

"Okay, you know, it's not so bad", but then suddenly the fear sets in.

The fear takes over your mind, it holds your mind,

because you realize it's a very, very dangerous situation.

We have a couple other expressions.

"Set foot in",

if you set foot in a place, it means you enter it.

So if I'm a storeowner and I catch you stealing something, I will say:

"Okay, I will let you go this time, but if you ever set foot in my store again, if you

even a little bit come inside, I will call the police and have you arrested."

Okay? We also have "set in motion".

These are both common expressions. "To set in motion" means

to get something started. So, there were riots in the city last week, but the police and

the media are still trying to figure out what set it in motion. What was the trigger? What

was the initial cause that got this thing started, got it moving? Okay?

"Set to". Basically, "set to" means be ready. I'm set to go, I'm ready to go. You usually

use it with a verb, so it's more like part of the infinitive. Okay?

But... Whoops, sorry.

But you can also start something or make something start. So, for example, if I start...

If I set fire to the building, it means I take a little match or a stick with fire, and I

put it in, and then the building goes on fire. So I started this thing. Right? I put the

fire to get it started.

"Set on". We have a couple of expressions. If you "have your heart set on something"

or if "you have your eyes on something".

If you have your eyes set on something, it means

you have that thing as your target, and you're focused, and you're going to get it. If you

have your heart set on something, it means you really, really want it. So... But if you

just use "set on" by itself:

"He's really set on doing this", it means he's determined,

he's a little bit stubborn, but he's going to do whatever that thing is. Okay?

"Set down". Now, if you have a child, you can sit your child down in the chair. But

if you have a vase, like for plants, you can't sit the vase on the table; you set it down

on the table. Basically it means put down. Very straightforward. Okay?

You can also "set down", if somebody's speaking and you want to remember or you want to

think about it later, you can set it down, you can write it down; take notes. Okay.

"Set against". "Set against" be very ma-... Very much against something, so you're determined,

you're very stubbornly against something. So,

we also say sometimes "dead set against".

If you're dead set against something, it means the only way that you're going to let this

happen is if you're dead, so hopefully that doesn't come to that.

But if you're set against it, you're really, really against it, you're not going to let it happen.

Now, you can also set someone against someone else.

It means you can create a conflict between two people.

Okay? So: "I set her against her. They're going to fight."

"Set aside" literally means put it to the side,

but usually when we say: "Set it aside",

it means put it away for now; we'll use it later. So put it aside and reserve it for

later use or later reference. Okay.

Sorry, I'm a little bit messy, here, today.

"Set back", okay, a couple of meanings here.

"To set something or someone back" means to cause a delay.

If you're setting them back, you're giving them

a problem, an obstacle, something that will take them back in terms of their progress.

Okay? We also say "a setback".

"A setback" is a noun, it means a problem, something that

causes a delay. Now, in terms of slang, we can also say, like:

"How much will this set me back?" It means: How much will it cost? Which is a little bit of a strange meaning.

So, this is a slang term, but again, it's very common if you say:

"This will set you back $1,000", means it will cost you back... It will cost you $1,000. Sorry.

"Set apart". What sets something apart from everything else means what distinguishes it

or what differentiates. So, for example, I have 10 students, what sets this student apart

is that he always does his homework; what sets her apart is that she always gets 100%

on every test. So what makes them special, what makes them different from the group.

"Set apart" also means, like, similar to "set aside", just means put separately,

to separate from the group; apart.

"Set out" means basically go, start your journey. And "set off" can mean the exact same thing.

"Set off", though, can also mean to start something, to cause something to begin.

For example, you set off the alarm.

So, for example, if I light a cigarette in here, then smoke

will go up to the alarm, and I will set it off. The smoke will set it off,

and it will start ringing and making lots of noise.

"Set about" means also start, but start to do something. Okay? So he's setting about

setting up the place, if that makes any sense. So, "set about", start to do.

This, start to go or start a journey.

Now, lastly, we have our idiom.

"To set someone straight". If someone has a wrong idea about

you or about something, you want to set them straight. You want... This is their thinking.

Okay? You want to set them straight. You want to correct the misinformation.

So, you tell them the correct information

or you tell them whatever they need to know so they have the right idea.

Just keep in mind that when you set someone straight, usually you're a little

bit angry at the misinformation. So, somebody started a rumour about you,

and somebody comes up to you: "Oh, I heard, like, you're...

You did this or that, or you're like this or that."

So you want to set this person straight. You want them to make sure they understand the

correct information; not the incorrect information.

Speaking of information, that's a lot of information I just gave you, here.

If you want to make sure you understand it,

go to www.engvid.com, take the quiz. You'll see a lot of sample sentences there.

You can ask me questions in the comment section.

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Bye.