Phrasal Verb: Set up

Set up is a phrasal verb. This means it has two parts. The first part is the verb set. The second part is the particle up. Together, they have a special meaning. It is different from just the word set. It is also different from the word up. They work as a team. In English, we call this a separable phrasal verb. This means you can put words in the middle. You can say set up the tent. You can also say set the tent up. Both are correct! It is like a flexible piece of string. You can stretch it or keep it together.

1. 1To use this correctly, follow these simple steps:
2. 2Start with the verb set. Remember, set is irregular. The past tense is also set. No setted here, please!
3. 3Add the word up right after it.
4. 4Add the object (the thing you are preparing). Example: set up + a meeting.
5. 5If you use a pronoun like it or them, put it in the middle. Example: set it up.
6. 6For questions, use do or did. Example: Did you set up the Wi-Fi?.
7. 7Yes, even native speakers forget the pronoun rule sometimes. Just remember: pronouns love to be in the middle of the sandwich!

You can use set up in many real-world situations. It is very common in office jobs. You set up a meeting or a call. It is also great for technology. When you get a new phone, you set up your apps. Think about your home too. You set up a new bed or a table.

Here are some scenarios:

• Job Interviews: The manager will set up a time to talk to you.
• Ordering Food: A restaurant might set up a buffet for a party.
• Asking Directions: You might set up your GPS before you start driving.
• Social Life: You can set up a dinner with your best friends.

Don't use set up for everything. If you are just putting a glass on a table, say put. Don't say I set up the glass. That sounds like the glass is a complex machine! Also, don't use it for starting a car. You start a car, you don't set it up. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. If the action is simple and quick, use a simple verb. If the action involves preparation or building, set up is green for go. If you are just moving an object from A to B, set up is a red light.

One big mistake is the past tense. Many people want to say setted up. This is a trap! The past of set is always set.

• ✗ Yesterday, I setted up the computer.
• ✓ Yesterday, I set up the computer.

Another mistake is the pronoun position.

• ✗ I set up it.
• ✓ I set it up.

Think of the pronoun as a shy person. It wants to hide between the two words. Don't leave it hanging at the end! Also, don't forget the up. If you just say I set the meeting, it sounds incomplete. It's like wearing only one shoe.

How is set up different from start? You start a race, but you set up the equipment for the race. Start is about the beginning of an action. Set up is about the preparation before the action.

How about build? You build a house from bricks. You set up a tent from poles. Build is for making something new from parts. Set up is often for putting together something that is already made. It's a fine line, but usually, set up is faster than build. If it takes five minutes, it's a set up. If it takes five months, you are building it!