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Everyday English · Work & study

Set up

Arrange or prepare something so it is ready to use.

You arrange or prepare something so it is ready to use. It may be equipment, a meeting, an account or a new activity.

Plain-English lessonVisual explanation3 practice steps

01 · Picture the situation

Understand it in three steps

Cartoon of a woman connecting a projector to a laptop before a class.
Picture the meaningShe sets up the equipment before the lesson.
01Equipment packed
02Connect and arrange
03Ready to use

Imagine this: Before an online lesson, you connect the microphone, position the camera and test the computer. You set up your equipment.

02 · Hear it in everyday life

Examples you can use

Three natural sentences

  1. We set up the projector before class.
  2. Could you set a meeting up for Tuesday?
  3. The new computer has arrived. I will set it up today.

A short conversation

PERSON AIs the room ready for the workshop?
PERSON BAlmost. I am setting up the projector.

Read the conversation aloud. Then swap roles and try it again without looking.

03 · Build your sentence

How to use set up

Use set up the equipment or set the equipment up. With it, say set it up. The past form stays set: “We set it up yesterday.”

BASE FORMset up
PAST SIMPLEset up
AFTER HAVE / HASset up

The base form is used after can, will and to. The past simple describes a finished past event. The third form follows have or has, for example when connecting an earlier action to now.

A common mistake to avoid

Use thisWe set it up yesterday.
Avoid this in this meaningWe setted it up yesterday.

Set does not become setted in the past.

Do not confuse it: Set up means prepare or arrange. Turn on means start a device operating. You may set up a computer and then turn it on.

Does it have another meaning?

Set up can also mean establish a business. As a verb, write two words: set up. The noun setup or set-up refers to an arrangement.

Learn the meaning and sentence pattern together. Small words such as up and off do not have one fixed meaning in every expression.

04 · Make it stick

Try it for yourself

Choose an answer before opening the explanation. Then make a sentence about your own life.

1. You connect the camera and microphone before a call. You are…
  1. setting off
  2. setting up the equipment
  3. giving up
Check answer 1

B. setting up the equipment

You are preparing the equipment so it is ready to use.

2. The laptop is new. Can you ___?
  1. set up it
  2. set it up
  3. setted it up
Check answer 2

B. set it up

Use set it up. Set has no -ed ending here.

3. Your turn

What would you set up for an online class?

See a possible model and self-check

We set up the projector before class.

This is one model, not the only correct answer. Check that your sentence uses the meaning taught here, the right verb form and the word order above. Change the person, place or time to make it your own.