set off — start a journey (Murphy Additional Exercises, Phrasal verbs)
Pattern
Section titled “Pattern”set off = start a journey / depart.
- Plan your route carefully before you set off.
- We set off early in the morning.
- What time do we set off?
- He set off for the airport.
The two meanings of “set off”
Section titled “The two meanings of “set off””| Meaning | Example |
|---|---|
| start a journey | We set off at 6am. |
| trigger / explode | The fire alarm set off. / They set off a bomb. |
Context decides. For journeys, it’s “start”.
Synonyms for starting a journey
Section titled “Synonyms for starting a journey”| Phrase | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| set off | start a journey | neutral |
| set out | start a journey | same, slightly more formal |
| take off | depart (plane) | aircraft only |
| head off | start moving toward | informal |
Why “leave off” / “depart off” / “get off” are wrong
Section titled “Why “leave off” / “depart off” / “get off” are wrong”- leave never takes “off” for departure: leave for Paris (not leave off for Paris). “Leave off” = stop doing something, and even that is old-fashioned.
- depart never takes “off”: depart for Paris (not depart off).
- get off = disembark a vehicle / finish work — wrong sense for starting a journey.
Test application
Section titled “Test application”If you’re going on a long walk, plan your route carefully before you ___ off.
Answer: set — set off = start the journey.
Why not the others?
- leave ✗ — “leave off” isn’t a departure phrase
- depart ✗ — “depart off” doesn’t exist
- get ✗ — “get off” = disembark, wrong sense
- set ✓ — set off = start
Source
Section titled “Source”Raymond Murphy, English Grammar in Use (4th ed.), Additional Exercises — Phrasal verbs (Units 137-145). Ebot lesson 2026-08-29: “before you ___ off” → set (set off = start a journey).