What is the difference between "let me free" and "set me free"?
I've heard these phrases in the song and wondered about the difference between them.
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Best answer
Hi Lily. The correct structure is "set someone free", as in release / liberate someone, such as a hostage, or in the case of songs, more of an abstract meaning, like release me from your love. You can also say "let someone go", which has the same meaning as "set someone free". Example: He let the captives go. / He set the captives free. "Let me free" is not technically correct, as far as I know. It would be useful to know which songs you have heard it in. An important thing to remember about songs is that technically correct language isn't always used, because the focus is on creativity and for the lyrics to flow well with the song. For example, in the case of "she doesn't work", in songs you often hear something like "she don't work", which is incorrect, but it makes the song flow better.
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They are practically the same thing, but the more commonly used word is “set me free”. This means to let you be set free
Let me free is very specific and practical. You’re physically stuck/locked somewhere. A lift, a room, a box. It could get just a bit metaphoric - maybe a situation that you feel is like a prison, such as a bad marriage or a stressful daily routine. “Set me free” is much more general and poetic, goes deeper, and usually applies to a long-term situation. It is also more of a plea than a command, if you’re saying it to someone. And it’s not really a commonly used expression. I’ll try to give an illustration of meaning and tone: if someone wants a divorce but their partner keeps causing legal problems, they might say “Aaaargh, just let me out of this marriage!” But if they have a tangled love relationship with someone who keeps manipulating their emotions, and if they’re in a dramatic mood, they might say “Please set me free.”
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To let free means you are presently restricted and would like this to be lifted so you will be able to do what you like. To set free means to release from captivity.
They mean the same thing. Maybe in the song the person was allowed to escape so they said let him free and so it’s not a real collocation like set me me is.
Giving someone freedom, relieving them from a burden, or letting them go are all synonyms for "setting someone free." The phrase "let me free" is incorrect.
"Let me free" is not limited or controlled by someone while "set me free" is setting free to liberate imprisonment.
- DaniloTeaching English linguistics
This broader scope of meaning of "set free" compared to "let go" is clearly shown in the kind of meanings that the object can take in these phrases. For example, one can "set the city free from something"or "set the country free" etc. but can't let them go. The two phrases are interchangeable as long as the subject is one in control of "letting go" or "setting free". One can decide, intend, determine etc. to either "let someone go" or "set someone free", but the former phrase is hardly available in contexts where the meaning of "deliberate action by someone in charge" is not clearly implied. Verbs such as manage, fight, seek etc. which imply lack of full control by the subject, will preclude the use of the "let go" phrase. In this example from an online newspaper replacing "set free" with "let go" is not an option (at least not for me): Kate took a risk and went outside in search of the pair and she managed to set them free before the stately home burned to the ground.
- DaniloTeaching English linguistics
The construction "let + NP + adjective phrase" won't work in any context, regardless of the adjective. On the other hand, "let + NP + infinitival clause" is an extremely common construction in all language registers. In this specific case, one can "let someone go" but can't "let someone free". The phrases "let someone go" and "set someone free" convey the same general meaning of "liberating someone", but I wouldn't say they are always and everywhere interchangeable. "Let someone go" carries a strong sense of permission or authorization by someone in authority - the subject is one who is in charge of liberating the person/animal in question. In other words, this phrase doesn't only mean "to liberate someone", but more specifically it means to "stop holding someone". On the other hand, the phrase "set someone free" incorporate this specific meaning of "stop holding someone" and the more general meaning of "giving freedom to someone". (continued in the next post)
Hi there, the meaning of this is to let go something
"let me free" is a phrase you ask from someone who has captivated or restricted you. But "Set me free" is to ask to be free from a restriction by someone else, other than the captivator or the prisoner!
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