TO SET OFF

Good morning / afternoon / evening everyone, depending on when you are reading this. Welcome back to the Daily Vitamin.

Today we continue looking at phrasal verbs with the verb SET.

Today's 1st phrasal verb is: TO SET OFF (FOR)

Meaning: to leave on a journey-trip or to start going somewhere.

This phrasal verb is inseparable and non-transitive; that is, it doesn't take an object, but you can add the adverbial phrase for place to indicate where you are setting off for.

Example 1: We will set off early tomorrow morning.

Example 2: We're setting off for the airport at 6 a.m. tomorrow.

We can also use the verb to set out with the same meaning: to set out on a journey or a trip.

Today's 2nd phrasal verb is: SET SOMETHING OFF (separable)

Meaning: to cause something to operate, especially by accident.

Example 3: Don't open that window or you'll set off the fire alarm. OR Don't open that window or you'll set the fire alarm off.

Tomorrow we will look at one more phrasal verb with the verb SET.

To get some practice with today's phrasal verbs, I encourage you to write a sentence with one or both of these phrasal verbs to get some writing practice in English. You can post your sentences to one of our social media sites (Facebook or Bluesky) and we will give you feedback about your writing ASAP.

I hope you have a good day.