Set in
This is a tough one; I’m not going to lie. The expression today is “set in.” When something “sets in,” it begins and is likely to continue for a while. It’s usually something difficult or unpleasant. The way I used it was somewhat complicated, so let’s start with an easier example.
One thing that is difficult is a long, cold winter. A lot of things are not possible in the cold weather, including work on your house. If you need to, say, replace your roof, then you want to do it before the cold weather sets in. Why do I say, “before the cold weather sets in”? I could easily say, “before it gets cold” and that would be fine. But remember that when something “sets in”, it begins and is expected to continue.
If you want to fix your roof, you should do it before it begins to get cold, because the cold will last for a long time—and you won’t be able to do your project until spring. So when we use “set in” in this case, we are purposely saying “before something difficult starts and is expected to continue.”
What else do you have to do before winter sets in? If you want to plant hardy vegetables like broccoli or brussels sprouts, you need to plant them before winter sets in. These are veggies you need to plant in the fall. But you have to do it before winter sets in because if you wait until December, the ground will be frozen. You won’t be able to dig and you’ll have to wait until next year.
Rain can set in, if you’re expecting it to rain for a while. If you live in the Caribbean, you’re used to just a few minutes of rain at a time. In that case, you would not use “set in” because the rain doesn’t last. But if the forecast calls for rain all day, you might want to go for your morning run before the rain sets in.
So that’s weather. Emotions can set in; and often, emotions are hard to reverse. Loneliness is the example I used in the lesson. Some people start by either living alone or spending a lot of time alone—and it’s fine. But the danger is that loneliness sets in. The danger is that you begin to feel lonely, and that emotion continues for a long time because it’s hard to reverse. If you begin to feel isolated, it’s important to make the connections you need before loneliness sets in.
Frustration is another emotion that can set in. Here in the US, some state governments are finding that frustration with social distancing is beginning to set in. We can see that because people are starting to break the rules more and more. Frustration sets in—it begins…and it’s not likely to go away any time soon, at least not without relaxing the rules.
Panic can set in, especially in the stock market. The stock market is a very emotional place; people follow their emotions, they follow the crowd in the stock market, very often. And when there is a lot of bad news, over and over, then panic can set in. People start selling stocks because they’re worried about the future. Others do the same thing, then more people, and more people. When panic starts, it lasts for a while. That’s why central banks and national governments did so much to support the economy in the early days of the crisis. They didn’t want panic to set in, either in the stock market or in the “Main Street” economies.
Quote of the Week
Here’s a quote for today, by the author Barbara Kingsolver. “Hope is a renewable option. If you run out of it at the end of the day, you get to start over in the morning.” Good words to keep in mind as we go through the economic and emotional trials of this pandemic. “Hope is a renewable option. If you run out of it at the end of the day, you get to start over in the morning.”
See you next time!
That’s all for today’s lesson. I’m glad you were able to join us. We’ll be back again on Thursday with another Plain English lesson.
Use realistic expressions like a native speaker
