An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'set about', with lots of examples in context
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Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them.
In this post, I am examining the phrasal verb 'set about'. You may not be as familiar with this particular phrasal verb as some of the others that I have covered on this blog as it is not so common and the meanings that it has are all advanced level. If this is the case, don't worry as I will explain its different meanings, giving you lots of examples in context to help you learn them. I'm confident that it will be a valuable addition to your English vocabulary! So, without further ado, let's make a start!
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SET ABOUT: KEY INFORMATION
Usage | Medium |
Number of meanings | 3 |
Past tense forms | Set about / Set about |
Separable? | Sometimes |
MEANINGSÂ (Click to jump to each one)
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THE BASICS
As per usual, let's begin our linguistic exploration by looking at the words that make up our phrasal verb of choice, which in this case are 'set' and 'about'.
I'd like to start this section with a question: what word in English has the meanings and definitions? Do you know the answer? You may be surprised to learn that it is in fact the small and simple looking word 'set'! If you guessed 'get', you were wrong! According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word 'set' has 430 different meanings and uses (yes, you read that correctly). Luckily however, most native speakers only use a small portion of these in their everyday conversations, so don't feel that you must learn all of these in order to become fluent.
When used as a verb, 'to set' is irregular as its past tense forms do not change. Moreover, as you can guess, it has a lot of different uses and applications, however the essential key meanings are 'to put something in a particular place', 'to adjust something' and 'to establish something'.
Jenny set the table ready for dinner.
I've set my alarm to go off at 5.30am tomorrow morning.
I set the rules and you have to follow them.
Next, we have the prepositional particle 'about', which is used a huge amount in everyday English by native speakers, though it is not very common in phrasal verb constructions. In fact, it is the first phrasal verb with 'about' that I have covered on this website. I would say that the key uses of the word 'about' are to indicate 'the subject of' when used as a preposition and when used as an ad verb it functions as a synonym of 'approximately', often in reference to a number or a size. Another relevant usage that it has is to describe movement within a specific area, such as a room or city, similar to 'around'.
The movie is about a woman who falls in love with her boss.
There are about 7000 different languages actively spoken in the world
Ken spent a few minutes walking about his house and checking that each room was tidy.
So, now that we have covered the basics', let's take a look at the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'set about'....
MEANING 1: To start doing something
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CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To start, to begin, to commence, to attempt, to undertake |
Separable? | No |
The first of the three meanings that we will cover in the post is a highly appropriate one to begin with as it means 'to start doing something'.
I'm not sure if you feel the same, but I find that when I have a difficult or long task that I must do, the hardest part for me is often starting it. Once I take the first steps and begin doing it, the rest of the task somehow doesn't seem so difficult. The reason that I am mentioning this is because we use this first application of 'set about' to mean 'to start doing something' and it is often applied to those difficult or time consuming tasks that we delay and postpone.
These tasks might include writing a report, doing some research, launching a business, creating a website, learning a new language or doing your family tree. In other words, they are all jobs or projects that take time, energy and potentially hard work to complete.
Furthermore, when we use 'set about' in this way, it is often with the inherent idea of determination and energy, i.e. if you set about a job, you do it with energy and enthusiasm.
On a grammatical note, this application of 'set about' can be followed either by a noun or by the gerund ('ing form).
Following a bit of research online into the usage of this application and based on my own experience as a native speaker, I would say that we tend to use the gerund form more with this application of 'set about'.
When Jane got back from her holiday, she set about writing her auto-biography.
The voters set about choosing their new member of parliament following the resignation of the previous one.
The team set about fixing the broken equipment before the next game.
Kate set about completely cleaning her house after her birthday party.
The chef set about creating a new recipe for the restaurant's menu.
When used with a noun, the typical ones that you will find it with are 'job' or 'task'. Often, the gerund form will then come after these words if they are followed by the preposition 'of'.
My team at work is setting about the creation of a new employee committee.
After my Dad died, my brother and I set about the task of clearing out his house.
Following the financial crisis, Luke set about the tough job of rebuilding his business.
Lastly, you should also note that with this particular usage of 'set about', there is no passive form.
MEANING 2: To attack someone
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CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Mainly British English |
Potential synonyms | To attack, to assault, to assail, to hit, to strike, to beat, to beat up, to tear into |
Separable? | No |
The second meaning of 'set about' is one that is mainly a British English usage and means 'to attack someone'.
For this application, we are talking about physically attacking another person, by punching, hitting or kicking them (or a combination), so this is really not a very pleasant usage.
Furthermore, we can also use 'set about' to refer to verbal attacks, such as shouting and insulting someone, although this is much less common.
On a grammatical note, this usage of 'set about' is not separable and is typically followed by the direct object, which is the victim of the violent attack. We frequently add the preposition 'with' to indicate any weapons involved in the situation.
The school bully suddenly set about the smaller boy, leaving all of the other students shocked.
As soon as the intruder entered the room, the guard set about him with a baton.
In the chaos of the argument, one of the men set about his rival with a chair.
A group of protesters set about the police officer, but reinforcements quickly arrived.
The knight drew his sword and set about the enemy with fierce determination.
MEANING 3: To place items randomly in a space or room
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CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Rare |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonms | To set out, to place, to put |
Separable? | Yes |
This third and final usage of 'set about' is the rarest of the three and is in fact a literal meaning of the combination of the two words 'set' and 'about', i.e. 'to place items randomly in a space or room'.
To break this down, one of the many meanings of the verb 'to set' is to place something in a position, like a candle on a shelf or a cushion on a sofa. When we combine this with the idea from 'about' of things being positioned in a place or space without a specific order, we arrive at this idea of 'placing items in a space in a random order'.
This application is typically used with reference to items in rooms, for example if you want to create a romantic atmosphere, you might set candles randomly about a room. The idea is that they are not placed in a uniform line or pattern. Another example might be in a museum, there are lots of information notices set about in random rooms and exhibits for visitors to read.
On a grammatical note, unlike the previous two meanings, this application of 'set about' is separable and we often place the items that are 'set about' in between the words 'set ' and 'about'.
The waiter set about plates, glasses, and silverware about the table.
Helen set cushions and throws about the living room to create a cosy atmosphere.
The theatre director set props and lights about the stage in preparation for the upcoming performance.
Lastly, you may also come across 'set about' in the passive form to describe items that are placed randomly in a room or space.
Snacks and drinks were set about the picnic blanket for everyone to enjoy.
The church altar was set about with candles and sacred objects for the ceremony.
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We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts.
Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'set about'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!!
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THE END
Love your posts about phrasal verbs.