不可以說set off to嗎？　　

本站特約作者  李  翔　　

趙振才編著《初高中英語考點難點詳解詞典》(黑龍江人民出版社2003年6月第2次印刷) p808：　　

【問】The first group of Chinese editors set off to Britain in mid-January, 1981. [《高中英語教科書》第2冊(下)，人教社，p.100]　　

set off to的用法是否正確？　　

【答】正確的用法是set off for(set out for, leave for head for)。for表示預定的目的地。　　

1. Having said farewell to their friends, they set off for home.　　

2. They set off for Rome.　　

 以上可以看出，趙教授只認為set off for是正確的，盡管沒有明說set off to是錯誤的，但實際上已經默認set off to是不正確的。　　

筆者在很多英語工具書中均未查到set off to的說法，但工具書中沒有的不一定是不正確的。抱著這個想法，筆者還真的查到了set off to的例證：　　

1. 在BNC(英國國家語料庫http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk)和BUY-BNC BRTISH NATIONAL CORPUS (UK,1980s-1993) (Mark Davies, Brigham Young University ) http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/上共有 27例包含set off to的例證；共有206例包含set off for的例證，其比率為27:206，即約為1:7.6。請看其中的例證： 　　

At last he turned north again, his dog still running at his heels, and set off to a village just outside London.　　

After lunch they set off to Kingsburgh for one of their most memorable encounters.　　

After a quick breakfast we set off to the first address on the list.　　

Asik knew that his grandparents would die if he did not give them enough water and there was no water left in the pots, so he set off to the river.　　

At Chicago airport, I filled in a " missing baggage " form and set off to my hotel, minus socks, tights, knickers and shoes, except for the ones I was wearing.　　

2. 在The CORPUS OF CONTEMPORAY AMERICAN ENGLISH (1990-2010) (Mark Davies, Brigham Young University) http://www.americancorpus.org/ http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/上共有 39例包含set off to的例證；共有208例包含set off for的例證，其比率為39:208，即約為1:5.3。請看其中的例證：　　

2010 … they did nt file a flight plan and instead of taking the easier route to the southwest with lower mountains, they set off to the north and never seemed to get their bearings.　　

2009 Amazed and overjoyed, Khkh Namjil thanked the mountain spirit, carefully mounted the horse, and then set off to the east.　　

2007 So when Lugovoi and others set off to the stadium, Litvinenko got a lift home.　　

2007 They set off to Australia to find them.　　

2002 We set off to the east through the pines until we came again to the northern banks of the river.　　

1990 A few days after he lobbed the tax grenade into the hands of his supporters here, he set off to London to patch up the differences among America's allies in NATO.　　

1990 His mother had given him five pounds, and he had set off to the village, to visit Mrs. Ishak, and buy the allotted amount of sweets, chocolates, and biscuits that he was permitted to take to Templehall in his tuck-box, and which were meant to last him for a full term.　　

從以上可以看出：無論美國人還是英國人都使用set off to，只是使用的頻率不如 set off for大，但這并不能說set off to是不正確的。　　

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