set
can mean many different things in English, depending on how you use it. In this lesson, you will build your vocabulary with phrasal verbs using the verb set
. We will look at expressions such as set in
, set to
, set out
, and more. The context of “set” can also change its meaning. For example, you will learn the difference between “setting up someone on a date” and “setting up someone for arrest”. Set yourself up for success by watching this lesson and doing the quiz at the end!
223 COMMENTS
hello everyone , the lesson as always useful. if someone wants to practice english, just add me on skype “batl.1”.
I’ll set You up with my friend who is english teacher .He set his heart to help the others to improve english language What set him apart from other is his sacrifice.
Nice use of the phrasal verbs. But next time don’t forget to add the “s” after the verb in the present simple.
He sets his heart to help the others to improve English language.
What sets him apart from other is his sacrifice.
For all people here Ladies and Gentlemen I hope there is anybody wants to practice her/his English with me voice chat :)
my Skype is khalid_3adel
Regards
Learn English for free with 956 video lessons by experienced native-speaker teachers. Classes cover English grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, IELTS, TOEFL, and more. Join millions of ESL students worldwide who are improving their English every day with engVid.
Hi I would like to add you on Skype
So we can practice English
Add “matlepgm83”
Hi!we can practice English if you want sorry I don’t have skype you can add me Twitter;pengdesun
I do not have skype account how can I chat with you
Add me please Andrés_Alberto
phrasal verb of set is too tough for me to remember.8 correct out of 10
Same here! Greetings from Brazil!
dont give up 8 is a great score .
Yes so do I, it’ really hard to remember
only 7 correct~~
Well, even after this great lesson I totally don’t understand what does Adele mean singing I Set Fire to the Rain))
nice one, you make me laugh.
Ed, that’s an oxymoron) It means that she tries to burn the rain, which is impossible.
Thanks for that interesting word- oxymoron, especially I learned two more useful words Oxy & moron)))
Hi Ed,
Actually, Aleksei got the right idea but I also think it might be about the fire inside her coming out in her tears (rain).
Maybe :)
Good vision. Another version, she burned rain (tears) to overcome the breakup
Does that mean he cries because of sad?
As long as you making notes during the lesson is not tough to deal with the quiz :)
I hope that you don’t cheat from them because that is not fair :)
hey nour are u interested to speak with me in english
Great and very helpful lesson, than you very much.
Nice class sir very fruitful earilier i requested for make a class on Sentence types but sir you didn’t got me i was saying one is Like Declarative sentence, Imperative and interrogative etc and other is complex compound i understand the formal but the latter Complex compound if you make it clear it would be my pleasure sir thank you.
Hi Sanaullah,
I’ll try to make a vid on that, but in the meantime, a complex-compound sentence has two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, …) and at least one dependent clause.
I asked him why he didn’t come to the party and he answered simply with a shrug.
ind. cl: I asked him
dep. (noun) cl.: why he didn’t come
ind. cl.: he answered
Does this help for now?
Hi Sanaullah,
I’ll try to make a video on that, but in the meantime, a complex-compound sentence has two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, …) and at least one dependent clause.
I asked him why he didn’t come to the party and he answered simply with a shrug.
ind. cl: I asked him
dep. (noun) cl.: why he didn’t come
ind. cl.: he answered
Does this help for now?
Hi Sanaullah,
I’ll make a video on that; in the meantime, a complex-compound sentence has 2 independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, …) and at least 1 dependent clause.
I asked him why he didn’t come to the party and he answered simply with a shrug.
ind. cl: I asked him
dep. (noun) cl.: why he didn’t come
ind. cl.: he answered
Does this help for now?
shit………i got 1
That’s okay! Dust yourself off and try again!
I do like this lessons about phrasal verbs. However, it´s really difficul to remember all these expressions. I will see the lesson again this afternoon.
Thank you so much Adam, nice explanation ;)
Ups, these instead of this and difficult instead of difficul :S
the main thing with phrasal verbs is to know the most often used ones. You don’t have to keep in mind every phrasal verb it is just impossible
Hi Adam, thanks for this great lesson! You gave me a lot of new information. I am waiting for your next great lesson, I learn a lot with you, you explain very well. Have a nice Sunday!
Very useful lesson, Adam. Thank you very much! I got 80, that’s too much information to remember. I’ll watch the lesson once more.
yes , i have 100 . Thank you very much for your great job.
Hi adam, thank you so much for this interesting lesson. It was really helpful. You are an amazing teacher.
hi friend how are u? why u put this tarriffiying pic u giv bad idea on algerian people
it’s kind of difficult for me
hey Adam, i want to thank you. this morning, i took an english exam which is important in my country,like ielts, and it went very well. i’m big fan of you, often watch your lessons, so thanks for your contributions. you are doing great job, all other engvid teacher as well
Most of phrasal verbs have its easy substitute (for example: he set about his deal – he started his deal). This idea bothers me)) I figure, I’d rather use the second option in a speech
You’re right Kubanez. Just remember though that others will use these phrasals so you need to understand them in order to receive others’ messages.
hey Adam, thank you for your lesson.
Thank you a lot Adam .You are like the best teacher I’ve ever come across. I got 9 of 10.
you are a brilliant teacher adam, thank you for your efforts for kindness and for your courtesy
Interesting lesson and ,as usual, great explaination . But now,i can say that “They must have watched the movie” but why that there is no expression like “They must have been watching the movie ” ? Thanks in advance, Adam :)
For instance, My sister woke up late today ,so i deduced that (( she must have been watching TV till 3 or 4 am yesterday))
Hi Melegy,
It’s all about context. As soon as you include “until 3 am, you are showing a continuing action. If you use watched, it suggests that the action was completed an you are referring to it as a whole action rather than an ongoing activity.
Does this help?
Yeah . Thanks a lot :)
Be aware this topic has set in my mind for years and I´ve always been set to use it properly so far, despite its complexity. I do want to set myself straight when it comes to phrasal verbs, because they´ve really been a setback to me, then I decided to set foot in my bedroom and set aside/apart all my stuffs to set off/out Adam´s lesson on this subject, as well to set down everything about it. I know it´s the only way my skills at it are going to set up. What I´m trying to say here is that I´m an eternal person set on doing this right. Thanks, teacher Adam. All the best ;)
Hi Adam,
can set _____ to be interchangeable with set _________off?
For example, set fire to/set fire off?
Hi Percy,
I’m afraid not. Set something to means apply it to. Set off can mean start (a journey) or make something start (set off the alarm. Also, with fire, you can only set fire to something, but you can set off the fire alarm.
Does this help a little?
Thank you, Adam.
Marvelous lesson teacher!!!
dear Adam, thanks so much for your efforts and lessons, they are really helpful ans so explicit because they are done in a simple way.
Thank you Adam.
Thank you Adam.
thank you Adam!
effectively, this lesson is not easy, but inreching!
the comments comfort me because my heard was heating during the quiz… :)
4/10 i xill be better.. ^^
Thanks for this useful lesson, could you plz explain that how can we find that a phrasal verb is formal or informal? To me most of them sound informal.
Hi Maliban,
Most phrasals are neither formal or informal. They are just vocabulary really. Some are informal though, like head out. There is no list of these or anything like that, but you should be able to tell from context. In any case, if you need to write formally and you can find another word that means the same as the phrasal, use that.
Thanks a lot!
Thank you very much, Adam. I was waiting for this lesson. My score on quiz was bad (6 out for 10). I’m gonna watch the video again.
I understood that the word “set” can be replaced by “put” often in these phrasal verbs, right? They have the same meaning sometimes.
Hi Cicero,
There are instances where this is true, but be careful; in most cases you will have a different word entirely. Set off and put off are not at all similar. Set up and put up can be mixed in some contexts, but in others they will be very different (set/put up a display; set Bill up with someone means introduce him to someone; put up with Bill means to tolerate him, or spend the night at his house)
Hope this helps.
Hmm Thank you, Adam! I’ll be careful about it =)
Sivakumar so late back to this lesson I’m very sorry about that Mr Adam sir…
I enjoyed this lesson and caption Which I have written in notebook and have read it while watching this lesson and it was so fun.. “SET OOT IN” it was one wonderful phrasal verbs in among all.. And the example so clear that you explained sir..
Great Adam sir..
Definitely big thanks people have to give yyou for this kinda phrasal verb lesson sir si I do give you big thanks sir Big thanks sir!!!…
Thank you Sivakumar :)
easy to understand but I still got bad score :(
Hi Adam, I have a doubt, can I use set aside or set apart in the case of time? For example, I am going to set aside time to read every day. Is it correct?
Hi Ishaja,
Yes, you can definitely set aside some time for something. You can also use set apart, but less commonly used this way.
7/10 thank you adam for this great lesson!
Mmmmmmm! Make the quiz without listenig the lesson well, doesn’t give a lot of satisfaction:)
Thanks,Adam.
Hi Adam! Even the lesson was great, I got a bad score, phrasal verbs are hard to learn for me.
hello! Adam! I would like to know about … ending prepositions .. you know questions ending in prepositions … example: with whom are you taking with?? or who are you taking to.. and I would like to know about WHOM AND who ! its because I sow to many questions ending for, at , on , in , over , ..ect please I need your help!! I cant get it !
Hi Erick,
Many old English teachers used to say, “never end a sentence with a preposition.” These days people don’t worry about this rule too much. The only thing to be careful about is not to use the preposition twice:
with whom are you taking with? (either at the beginning or the end, but not both)
In formal writing, it is recommended you don’t end with a preposition.
Also, “Who are you talking to?” is technically not grammatically correct, but it is used commonly.
Finally, don’t forget that some of these prepositions you might see at the end of a sentence might be part of a phrasal verb, in which case there is no problem with their position.
Hope this helps.
Nobody says it’s easy to study languages,but practice makes perfect)
Adam,than you for one more brilliant lesson.
Hi Adam!, Could you make a video about how to make better sentences? Usually, my sentences are poor.
Hi Fabrick,
I think that would require quite a few lessons. First, though, it is important to know the grammatical structures of different types of sentences. Start with that. Then, as long as a sentence delivers a clear message, it is a good sentence.
HI everyone,Adam, you did a great job, I LIKE IT.
…. really, you have set me straight about many slangs in english, thank you a lot..
Thank you, Adam. I find confused.
Hı There :) This is Huseyin
I would lıke to learn difference between “Could” and “was able to” . I would very delighful if you could make a video lesson to clearify difference and its usage Thanks alot
I’ll get on that Huseyin :)
Thanks alot Adam :)
Ever great class on EngVid.com !! congrats!
Hı There :) This is Huseyin
I would lıke to learn difference between “Doubt” and “Suspect” . I would very delighful if you could make a video lesson to clearify difference and its usage Thanks alot
Hi Huseyin,
To doubt means to question the truth or possibility of something. To suspect means to have an idea about something or someone before getting all the facts. Suspect can also be synonymous with doubt, meaning to question the truth of.
Paul doubts Jill’s sincerity.
Paul suspects Jill’s sincerity is put on.
Paul has no reason to doubt/suspect Jill’s sincerity.
Anyway, I’ll make a lesson about confusing word pairs :)
Thanks alot Adam :)
Hello Adam,
I got 100% on the quiz, I am so excited! :) I did not expect to get so high score because usually phrasal verbs are too confusing for me. Your explanation is so clear and memorable. Thank you so much for this lesson!
Yours sincerely, Elena.
Your lessons always are great…
Your lessons are always great
good lesson the phrasal verbs can be difficult but on engvid the lessons is being explaining with a simple method thanks so much my mate adriano who told me about this lesson thanks adriano
You’re welcome my dear friend Kotoz. It’s good to have you as a student partiner.
It isn’t easy for me. And I think more and more time will go on when I can use this.
You have his heart set on to teach. Right?
Yes, Levi, my heart is set on teaching ;)
Hi Adam , your phrasal verb lessons are amazing
i would like you giving us more and more
What’s the difference between very, really, a lot etc?
Can you explain the differences?
Hi Lilletrille,
I’ll make a lesson about this, but they are generally equally usable as quantifiers or adverbs of degree.
I’m very happy is similar to I’m really happy. It’s a matter of which you or your listener judges to be stronger.
A lot is used with amounts.
An useful lesson! Thank you.
8 out of 10 Good but not excellent, i will try again.
Thank you for this helpful website that a friend of mine indicate to me today. I really need to improve my english.
Nice class and good explantion. I’m set to use all of those prasal verbs now.
Thanks Adam. I did well at the test, but I must keep practising on these phrasal verbs with “set”.
great class, I set down all your advises and tips and could get a 10 on the quiz ,…going for more phrasal verbs they are so useful and very common in a normal conversation with native speakers…thanks a
lot
Sorry, for this but I would just like to be clear between shift switch please! SPECIFICALLY
Hi Davidben,
Mostly I’d say it’s about the scope of the change. You can switch your support from team A to team B, but you would shift your priorities away from sports to studies.
If you can give me a specific example, I can probably give you a better explanation.
Just a poor 6/10, the worst result I’ve ever achieved! Presumably I didn’t understand some parts of your lesson, I’d better set up a strategy to improve this topic.
Great and difficult lesson for me but thank you, Adam
my favourite topic is phrasal verbs especially when it comes from you Adam …. really thanks for being a part of our life
Hi Reema I am also Reema from Syria I am wondering if you are interested in communicating to improve english skills inn conversation
I realy nead to practice English so please smb.contact me!
10 out of ten! good for me :)
very good.
very bad again. i have to improve. does anybody want to practice with me?
Phrasal verbs are quite confusing but at the same time it is very interesting to learn.Great job Adam.Thanks for this one.
Great 8/10
Thank you Mr ADAM
Thanks for the lesson.
please contact me through my private mail(minakalia1@hotmail.com)we can get to know each other
can you please upload the video frequently every week. i like learning english with engvid! and my fav tutor is Adam ^^
Hi 0101Hades,
New lessons go up every two or three days :)
Thank you Adam. I enjoyed very much this class.
Phrasal verbs are very important for english comunication.
Please, consider to bring more phrasal verb for us.
so could we rehash ‘come on baby, light my fire’ with ‘set fire to’?
Hi Knata,
With a little of altering, we could:
Come on baby, set fire to my…
:)
Great lesson! 100% woohoo!
thank you Adam
Good time to all of you! Could anybody direct me to the lesson about phrasal verbs with “to be”? I mean, is there such lesson on that site? If not, Adam, could you please make a lesson on that theme?
I’ll get on that Kubanez. Interesting topic :)
Hi for all..I would be gratefull if I find some one to master my english conversations via skype or any other way
Hi Adam!
Could you make a tutorial about “Who’s/Whose/”, please?
Cheers,
I’ll see what I can do Alejandro.
In the meantime, who’s is who is or who has. Whose is a possessive (pronoun) conjunction
Whose book is this (who does it belong to?)
Who’s got my book (who has got my book?)
Hope this helps a little.
Thanks Adam. you r a great tutor
Adam!
You are more than great,I feel pleasure when I watch your lessons.
All the best
Thank you very much for such amazing lessons, Adam! Could you please make a lesson on the names of the most commonly used chemicals in English-speaking countries?
I’ll look into that Dior.
Dear teacher. You need to give us an examples, phrases, about this phrasal verbs. Please!
You are the best!
Hi David,
That’s what the quiz is for. Have you tried it?
Hi there!
Set your heart on Jesus!
Thank you Adan! This lesson was very important
very useful informations thxx a lot i really appreciate your help . guys if someone w’d like to improve (her) or (his) communication and help each other this’s my whatsapp 0620493867
I´ts OK if I use Set Up on this way. My girlfirend has a single girlfriend, and I set her up with my beast friend.
All good Adolfo, though I’m not so sure your girlfriend’s girlfriend will be too happy about being set up with a beast ;)
hahaha, so I have a dude about it, because you almost use “girlfriend” to concernt at the friend of my girlfriend on the example check it, i´ts supposed that there are not gender, it´s only Friend no matter if is male or female.
:) I was referring to the “beast” friend where you probably meant “best” friend ;)
some of the phrasal verbs are separable . How can we easily identify which phrasal verbs must be separated by an object? I hope, memorizing won’t be the only way. :)
I hate to give you the answer you don’t like Mariam, but other than memorizing, the best way to learn these things is to read a lot and see them in use. :)
Thank you Adam.
But too much information to remember.
9 OUT OF 10! I think it’s good, isn’t it?
I’ve learned all of these. So useful using it on day-to-day life
Hi everyone! I’m interesting on talk with others and improve our english!
Add me on skype: @maby200
Nice teaching and useful lesson,Adam.
I was a little bad in this questions, Just 70%. I Will be better the next.
Thanks Vladandevla.
(just be careful about putting up copyrighted material) ;)
Thank you very much everyone. Remember, you don’t need to learn everything in one day. Just start to get a “feel” for the language and read, read, read, every day, and this will all become much easier.
Also, talk to each other. Use Skype, Google Hangouts, email each other. Use it, or lose it
:)
thanks about that sir adam :) and more God bless to come.
Thanks, Adam.
I want to ask ‘specified’ and ‘specific’ what is the difference?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Sophie,
Specified is a past participle, meaning someone made it specific. Specific is a simple adjective.
Then this sentence “All tourists must be part of an escorted group to specified locations.” Is it grammatically correct? or ‘specific’ should be used?
Hı Adam
My Request about relative clause . and details about using “what” and “How” . Why they aren’t be assumed as relative pronoun .Can you clearify this topic maybe making video lesson about it
Sincerely
Not sure I understand Huseyin. Are you asking why they are not relative pronouns? Relative pronouns are used for adjective clauses (and some adverb clauses). What and How are used for noun clauses only.
Actually Yes
I am asking why they are not relative pronouns?
Hi again ,
Ten minutes ( have _ has ) passed. Let’s wait five more.
Ty :)
10 minutes have passed Melegy :)
thank you adam,you’re owesome
Thank you!
Thanks Adam I got 10 :-) :-)
Thanks Adam!!
i got 3 points and i still confusing now :(
Thanks, Adam, for this lesson too!
You’ve set up such a dense video today! Great! I’ve watched two times and taken notes to make the quiz.
Thank you for lesson, it’s very useful!
I have a question. If I can’t stand such thing as wars and violence, can I say something like “I dead set against war/violence”?
Hi Nat,
You can say “I’m dead set against” these things, but keep in mind the nuance is a little different from can’t stand.
100% bang! But still need to practice, phrasal verbs are my weak point definitely :D
thanks go on
thanks! Good Job
Thank you Adam , It is always interesting lessons you have , i still confuse from ( Set )
“Since I had a lot of homework, I had to set stroll aside for later”-is my sentence correct?
teacher, whenever u have spare time could u pls post sth about Noun,adjectives modifiers,adverbial clauses and so on. though,u have posted a tons of info about phrases that i found very useful and thnx a lot by the way. but to be honest,NM,AM,AC are more complicated to be understood.everything that has to do with syntax cuz i need it for my study. have a great evening and many thnx po everything. definitely,u are rock :)
That’s a great Suggestion, add me on skype, Mostafa L Abrashy .. thanks alot
hallo Adam! may you give me Phrasal verbs with shake? because I haven’t known about it. thanks in advance.
Helo Adam, I’ve jsut started to watch to your videos. Congrats, you’re such a great teacher.
I eonder if you could give me some hints on two expressions I’ve always tried to understand:
a) “Set forth”
b) “put forth”
c) “If you will”
Best!
got 7 :-(.
On and in, im confused.
Thank you for this lesson.Although I can not entirely memorize all of these phrasal verbs,but I think I make a great progress on the phrasal verbs about “set”,I got 8 correct out of 10.Please point out my mistakes on this paragraph.Thank you again.
Adam,thanks for having you here and your wonderful detailed video about the phrasal verb “set”.I’ll keep my study by watching your videos.Best wishes with you.
Excuse me , I have a question
if we have a verb has the same meaning of phrasal verb so why we use the phrasal specially most of time we cannot memorize the phrasal verbs !
Sir ADAM !! you are doing a great job
Hi Adam, I have improved to much my understanding english with yours lessons, thanks to made it possible……..grettings from Venezuela my friend
Thank you Adam!!
Hi, Adam! Thank you for the lesson again. Quite helpful as usual. I will set my heart on improving my English until I speak it fluently.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. BUT I STILL CONFUSE ABOUT “SET AGAINST”. SET AGAINST MEANS “DETERMINED”OR”OPPOSED TO”. THAT IS EXACTLY CONTRARY MEANING.
thanks Adam
Oh. Thank you, Adam.
Sir,I am new hear and I get 70marks in quiz is that good marks
i always love your lesson . it’s evry great and usefull . you are one of the best teacher i have ever had . thank you
Sir , what does ” take hold ” mean ??
Well, I got eight…pfff more exercises!
i want to watch your video but i can not
shall someone help me
Hi everyone! I’m grateful for Adam because of his lessons and especially for Phrasal Verbs. That topic is VERY complicated and this lesson is pretty full. But.. I really want more examples and questions! Thanks!
thank you teacher Adam thank you a lot of time
teacher Adam i want to ask one question that is not about the lesson i want to learn English so how long time it will takes to me to speak fluently English give me advice
Hi, Adam! I have a little bit misunderstanding in this sentence: The boss values loyalty, he is set against hiring employees from outside the company… Can you help me to understand 2 things: Does this sentence use passive voice? And why?
thanks adam.it’s really helpful
Your lessons are setting our understanding of English topics straight.
Thanks Mr. Adam so much………..
Hi Adam, thank you so much for your precious lessons.
By you, the phrasal verbs are not boring… and easy to understand!
Thanks again!
Bello Adam. My name is Adriana, I am from Brazil. I am really happy with your classes. It has been so good for me.
I really would like that you teach us architectural things, like a constructin class. I am Architect and I have to improve my vocabulary. Should you do that?
Thanks Adri
Tody I got 3 100-marks. So happy am I.
hi sir,
thanks for providing comprehensive information regarding to use about it
Well, I got 80.It could be better.I won’t give up!
Will could you put more exercises about that lesson?Adam,please!!!!!
I just got 50/50 of this exercise…?
Dear Adam sir
I am megha sharma from India and
I am a big fan of urs.Your pronunciation,gags in between the lecture,ur fluency,Your way of teaching…everything is appreciable.Never thought a teacher could be such a perfectionist before watching your videos.I have been preparing for ielts exams and written a few essays of written task 2 and 1 but dont know whether I am attempting them correctly or not.Just wanted to get them checked from u and if you could guide me the procedure I shall be obliged.
Much regards
Megha
I scored 10 out of 10. Thanks Adam for such a wonderful lesson. Now I think I’m not going to mess up using any of set phrasel verbs you have explained in this video.
The way you explain phrasel verbs sets your apart from the other teachers. The other teachers are good though.
Hi, Adam,
I really appreciate the fact that you are making a difference. Thanks a lot.
I wonder if you can make a lesson about the modal verb ‘WOULD’. I do understand some of its usage but not all.
I don’t understand like ‘would be doing’ sentence structure.
I Adam. Thank you for your lesson. Could you explain defference eschew and avoid
Thank you for such a great lesson!!
10 out of 10, you set me up to succeed.
How I can improve my speaking skills when I don’t live there?
Thank you sir its very help full and fruitful also
Thank you Mr. Adam.
To recap, I copied the explanations as below. Taking notes while watching the video helped me to get a high score on the quiz. Taking notes also helped to listen carefully, i.e. concentration.
“Set back” means to “delay”.
“Set on” means “want very much” or “decided”.
“Set up (on a date)” means “arrange (a meeting)”.
To be “set against” mean to be “determined” or “opposed to”.
To “set apart” means to “distinguish”.
To “set aside” means to “keep separate”.
To “set fire” to something means to start a fire in it.
To “set foot in” a place means to enter it.
To “set off” means to “trigger”, “start”, or “cause to start”.
To “set the record straight” means to correct a misunderstanding or fix the wrong information.
Insoo Yeo, it’s good job! Well done.
1o/1o
best regards,Adam (Kazakhstan 21 Nov2021:)
Hi sir Adam! Should I put a preposition here?
Fear sets in ____ my find.
Do I need to put sets in to my mind?
Hello,sir! I’ve got 9 out of 10 d’or quiz. I’ve liked. Thanks so much that helpful lesson