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Pedants' corner

Sat or sitting when speaking or writing.

(52 Posts)
MollyAA12 Sun 06-Jun-21 17:28:28

I teach journalists and get cross with them when they write 'sat' as in 'He was sat under the tree when it was raining' instead of 'He was sitting under the tree ......

People on the radio say 'I am sat here' etc.

Grammaretto Sun 06-Jun-21 20:11:29

That particular expression seems to have taken root.
Mixing up loose and lose annoys me the most and their and there. Oh and your and you're.....
I hope you teach your journalists how to write wink

Shelflife Mon 07-Jun-21 00:01:11

Completely agree we hear it more and more .
As for your and you're - don't get me started! Even my intelligent adult daughter makes that mistake and I am itching to correct her , haven't done so yet!

welbeck Mon 07-Jun-21 00:04:11

i was sat/ i was sitting are both correct.
the first is an older form, nearer to middle english, chaucer.

NotSpaghetti Mon 07-Jun-21 00:15:29

I was taught years ago (and am prepared to be wrong) that sat would generally be done to you.
“She sat him in the corner”
“He was sitting in the corner”

welbeck Mon 07-Jun-21 00:43:18

that's what i thought.
the difference between active and passive.
that was before i met people from derbyshire, and learnt more.

vampirequeen Mon 07-Jun-21 05:17:55

I have to admit I tend to say 'sat' when speaking unless being formal but I always use 'sitting' when writing.

sodapop Mon 07-Jun-21 08:41:26

That's what I thought NotSpaghetti I was sat sounds totally wrong to me.

MaizieD Mon 07-Jun-21 08:43:42

vampirequeen

I have to admit I tend to say 'sat' when speaking unless being formal but I always use 'sitting' when writing.

Is this a dialect thing? Because I wouldn't even think about whether to use 'sat' or 'sitting'. I've used 'sitting' for 70 years now, but that's what everyone used where I came from. Because that was our dialect.

silverlining48 Mon 07-Jun-21 08:44:17

I was sat sitting in pedants corner.....confused

silverlining48 Mon 07-Jun-21 08:48:51

Ps usually use sitting...

foxie48 Mon 07-Jun-21 08:50:24

Pedant's corner or pedants' corner depending on how many pedants there are. Not that I am one!

Witzend Mon 07-Jun-21 08:54:47

AFAIK it was a regional thing that has spread like the pandemic.

See also ‘shtrong’ for ‘strong’, and many more ‘shtr’ for ‘str’ which I can’t think of at the moment.

My pet peeve though is REEsearch instead of reSEARCH, though I know it’s generally accepted, not to mention expected, now. I’m always so pleased to hear anyone pronounce it the ‘proper’ way, but it’s increasingly rare.

Chewbacca Mon 07-Jun-21 08:55:20

"Of" instead of "have". I would of have sat under the tree. I would have sat under the tree.

Whether it was raining or not....... wink

Witzend Mon 07-Jun-21 08:55:24

Should have added, always ‘sitting’ here.

nanna8 Mon 07-Jun-21 08:58:12

Muddling up effect and affect. Happens all the time here.

Grammaretto Mon 07-Jun-21 09:09:57

Witzend I agree.

Nobody corrects grammar or spelling any more except perhaps my Danish SiL who knows English grammar better than anyone else. She "sat" took her degree in England and has been correcting our English ever since wink

Izabella Mon 07-Jun-21 09:16:43

Locally it is sat sitting Then of course there is stood standing ....

Grandma70s Mon 07-Jun-21 09:30:47

It’s not regional. It’s a literacy thing. Correct English is the same all over the country.

How I agree about REEsearch. It makes me cringe.

GrannySomerset Mon 07-Jun-21 09:36:24

And the way “convince” seems to have replaced “persuade”. Grrr!

Kim19 Mon 07-Jun-21 09:40:03

I was lucky enough to have an excellent education at a time when language was considered extremely important. Although 'incorrectness' still inwardly grinds with me, I'm able to settle for the fact that I understand what's meant in the wording context. Think something about not sweating the small stuff may be relevant here or live and let live?

yggdrasil Mon 07-Jun-21 09:40:36

Grandma70, it is so a regional thing. I grew up in Sussex, said 'sitting' like everyone else there. Then I moved to Gloucestershire and soon was saying 'sat' like the locals.

Talking about Sussex, I still say 'either' and neither' with an E sound not an I. That is definitely regional

trisher Mon 07-Jun-21 09:57:00

Well actually you just miss out the 'was', so "He sat under the tree' and "He was sitting under the tree". The first of course could actually mean he actively 'sat', or he was there for a while. The second means he was there for some time.

maddyone Mon 07-Jun-21 10:51:23

Indeed you are correct trisher.

Granny23 Mon 07-Jun-21 11:01:17

The one that jumps out at me is "He was laying on the bed" when he was actually lying on the bed. You can lay things e.g. your clothing, on a bed but if you lie down yourself you are lying thereon.