Vocabulary
Set
Study the following vocabulary.
The painter looked at the sunset and noticed a small boat set against the horizon. He had set aside one more canvas for a perfect moment such as this one. So, he set up his easel to face the beautiful landscape and set out his brushes and other tools; and heset off to paint a picture that would be more spectacular than anything that had ever been painted before. He worked for hours despite being set back by his own frustration, but finally, as the sun rose again, the painter set down his brush and looked at his masterpiece. He had painted something that would be forever set apart from other landscape paintings; people would remember his painting as the one that should be used to judge all others.
set off – to start a process or series of events
The news of the bomb set off panic amongst the people and a number of speeches by important politicians.
set against – to be placed near or next to so as to emphasize the difference
Her hair seemed to be almost black when it was set against her white dress.
set apart from – to be different from, and usually better than, others
His confidence sets him apart from his colleagues even though he is still quite young.
set aside – to save for a particular purpose
My parents used to set aside money each month to help fund my education at an expensive university.
set back – to delay the progress of
The football player's career was set back by his knee injury.
set down – to place an object on a surface
The business man set down his glasses before reporting the bad news about the meeting.
set out – to arrange in an organized manner
She set out her finest dishes in order to prepare for the important dinner guests.
set up – to make ready to use
It took the camera crew many hours to set up all of their equipment.
set up against – to create opposition or competition
He set himself up against the current leaders of the company because he did not agree with their policy.
set up with – to provide
As the city developed, the government set it up with a new school filled with modern technology and supplies.