diff --git a/src/sage/modules/free_module_element.pyx b/src/sage/modules/free_module_element.pyx
index 5bd5b408417..ce6f68b7e0c 100644
--- a/src/sage/modules/free_module_element.pyx
+++ b/src/sage/modules/free_module_element.pyx
@@ -1920,15 +1920,20 @@ cdef class FreeModuleElement(Vector):   # abstract base class
 
     def get(self, i):
         """
-        Like ``__getitem__`` but without bounds checking:
-        `i` must satisfy ``0 <= i < self.degree``.
+        Return the `i`-th entry of ``self``.
+
+        This is equivalent to ``self[i]``.
 
         EXAMPLES::
 
             sage: vector(SR, [1/2,2/5,0]).get(0)                                        # needs sage.symbolic
             1/2
+            sage: zero_vector(3).get(5)
+            Traceback (most recent call last):
+            ...
+            IndexError: vector index out of range
         """
-        return self.get_unsafe(i)
+        return self[i]
 
     def __setitem__(self, i, value):
         """
@@ -1982,19 +1987,23 @@ cdef class FreeModuleElement(Vector):   # abstract base class
 
     def set(self, i, value):
         """
-        Like ``__setitem__`` but without type or bounds checking:
-        `i` must satisfy ``0 <= i < self.degree`` and ``value`` must be
-        an element of the coordinate ring.
+        Set the `i`-th entry of ``self`` to ``value``.
+
+        This is equivalent to ``self[i] = value``.
 
         EXAMPLES::
 
-            sage: v = vector(SR, [1/2,2/5,0]); v                                        # needs sage.symbolic
+            sage: # needs sage.symbolic
+            sage: v = vector(SR, [1/2,2/5,0]); v
             (1/2, 2/5, 0)
-            sage: v.set(2, pi); v                                                       # needs sage.symbolic
+            sage: v.set(2, pi); v
             (1/2, 2/5, pi)
+            sage: v.set(5, 1)
+            Traceback (most recent call last):
+            ...
+            IndexError: vector index out of range
         """
-        assert value.parent() is self.coordinate_ring()
-        self.set_unsafe(i, value)
+        self[i] = value
 
     def __invert__(self):
         """
@@ -4667,12 +4676,13 @@ cdef class FreeModuleElement_generic_dense(FreeModuleElement):
 
     @cython.boundscheck(False)
     @cython.wraparound(False)
-    cdef get_unsafe(self, Py_ssize_t i):
+    cpdef get_unsafe(self, Py_ssize_t i):
         """
         EXAMPLES::
 
-            sage: v = vector(RR, [-1,0,2/3,pi])                                         # needs sage.symbolic
-            sage: v.get(3)                                                              # needs sage.symbolic
+            sage: # needs sage.symbolic
+            sage: v = vector(RR, [-1,0,2/3,pi])
+            sage: v.get_unsafe(3)                                                              
             3.14159265358979
 
         ::
@@ -4704,13 +4714,15 @@ cdef class FreeModuleElement_generic_dense(FreeModuleElement):
 
     @cython.boundscheck(False)
     @cython.wraparound(False)
-    cdef int set_unsafe(self, Py_ssize_t i, value) except -1:
+    cpdef int set_unsafe(self, Py_ssize_t i, value) except -1:
         """
         EXAMPLES::
 
-            sage: v = vector(RR, [-1, 0, 2/3, pi])                                      # needs sage.symbolic
-            sage: v.set(3, RR(1))                                                       # needs sage.symbolic
-            sage: v                                                                     # needs sage.symbolic
+            sage: # needs sage.symbolic
+            sage: v = vector(RR, [-1, 0, 2/3, pi])                                     
+            sage: v.set_unsafe(3, RR(1))
+            0                                                       
+            sage: v                                                                     
             (-1.00000000000000, 0.000000000000000, 0.666666666666667, 1.00000000000000)
         """
         self._entries[i] = value
@@ -5298,27 +5310,27 @@ cdef class FreeModuleElement_generic_sparse(FreeModuleElement):
             raise IndexError("vector index out of range")
         return self.get_unsafe(n)
 
-    cdef get_unsafe(self, Py_ssize_t i):
+    cpdef get_unsafe(self, Py_ssize_t i):
         """
         EXAMPLES::
 
-            sage: v = vector([-1,0,2/3,pi], sparse=True)                                # needs sage.symbolic
-            sage: v.get(1)                                                              # needs sage.symbolic
+            sage: # needs sage.symbolic
+            sage: v = vector([-1,0,2/3,pi], sparse=True)
+            sage: v.get_unsafe(1)
             0
-            sage: v.get(2)                                                              # needs sage.symbolic
+            sage: v.get_unsafe(2)
             2/3
-
-        For this class, 0 is returned if the access is out of bounds::
-
-            sage: v.get(10)                                                             # needs sage.symbolic
-            0
+            sage: v.get(10)
+            Traceback (most recent call last):
+            ...
+            IndexError: vector index out of range
         """
         try:
             return self._entries[i]
         except KeyError:
             return self.coordinate_ring().zero()
 
-    cdef int set_unsafe(self, Py_ssize_t i, value) except -1:
+    cpdef int set_unsafe(self, Py_ssize_t i, value) except -1:
         """
         EXAMPLES::
 
@@ -5336,26 +5348,26 @@ cdef class FreeModuleElement_generic_sparse(FreeModuleElement):
             ...
             TypeError: self must be a numeric expression
 
-        ::
+        TESTS::
 
             sage: # needs sage.symbolic
             sage: v = vector([1,2/3,pi], sparse=True)
-            sage: v.set(1, pi^3)
+            sage: v.set_unsafe(1, pi^3)
+            0
             sage: v
             (1, pi^3, pi)
-            sage: v.set(2, SR(0))
+            sage: v.set_unsafe(2, SR(0))
+            0
             sage: v
             (1, pi^3, 0)
 
         This assignment is illegal::
 
-            sage: v.set(10, pi)                                                         # needs sage.symbolic
-
-        This lack of bounds checking causes trouble later::
-
-            sage: v                                                                     # needs sage.symbolic
-            <repr(<sage.modules.free_module.FreeModule_ambient_field_with_category.element_class at 0x...>) failed:
-             IndexError: list assignment index out of range>
+            sage: # needs sage.symbolic
+            sage: v.set(10, pi)
+            Traceback (most recent call last):
+            ...
+            IndexError: vector index out of range
         """
         if value:
             self._entries[i] = value