phrasal verb / collocation · neutral
set expectations
/sɛt ˌɛkspɛkˈteɪʃənz/set·ex·pec·TA·tions
to state clearly what people should expect regarding results or behaviour
Examples
“Employers should set expectations clearly during induction.”
“Good teachers set expectations at the start of the semester.”
“Setting expectations helps to avoid misunderstandings in a team.”
Band 8 sentence
“Leaders should set expectations transparently so that performance can be assessed fairly and consistently.”
Collocations
- set expectations for + noun
- set realistic expectations
Word family
Common mistakes
set the expectation→set expectations
set expectations to→set expectations for
Say it for a higher band
5tell→6explain→7+set expectations
Synonyms
clarify requirements
lay out expectations
Easily confused
raise expectations
“The announcement raised expectations across the industry.”
Related words
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