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. Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube
channel, and come back again soon. Bye.
