to set a table

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   to put plates, glasses, knives, forks, and so on neatly on a table before a meal.

   Grammar: Used after 'to' or a modal: I'll set the table. It takes an object such as 'the table' or 'the table for four'.

   Patterns

   • set the table for someone
   • set the table for a meal
   • help someone set the table

   Could you set the table while I finish the soup?

   She set the table for six and lit the candles.

   We always set the table together before dinner.

2. 2phrasefixed phrase

   to arrange the equipment and objects needed for a particular activity on a table.

   Grammar: Often followed by 'for' plus the activity: set the table for a game of cards.

   Patterns

   • set the table for something

   He set the table for the chess match.

   The nurse set the table for the doctor's instruments.

Common combinations

set the table for dinner

The children set the table for dinner every evening.

help set the table

Can you help set the table before the guests arrive?

a properly set table

A properly set table makes even a simple meal feel special.

set the table for four

Please set the table for four; two more friends are coming.

clear the table

After we ate, my brother cleared the table.

Synonyms and how they differ

lay the table

Common in British English and means the same thing; 'set the table' is the usual phrase in American English.

prepare the table

Broader and less idiomatic; it can mean cleaning or decorating the table, not just placing the dishes.

Opposites

Word family

table setting noun

the arrangement of plates and cutlery on a table

Commonly confused: to set a table or set the table on fire?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “to set a table”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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