“I was sat” 😤

[FeeFiFoFummy]

Why do people no longer say “i was sitting”?

Dear old Terry Wogan used to complain about this. You were not sat, you were sitting, or you were seated!
I find it annoying too.

Wouldn't it be correct if you were directed to the seat? For instance, misbehaving at school - "I was sat in the corner by the teacher".

No. That would be you were seated or you were put sitting.

It's always immediately obvious to me that someone who uses this term is from UK, and mostly English. I have never heard it in any other English speaking country.

Is it colloquial to particular parts of UK, or is it widespread I wonder? A friend from the Midlands always uses it for example. It doesn't bother me at all though, even though to me it's grammatically incorrect.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this 🙂 as I would contend that "I was sat" is a passive form describing someone actively being sat down by someone else.

I’m from Yorkshire and have to consciously remember not to say “ I was sat”, it’s just second nature! Even though I know it’s incorrect, it just slips out😊

You could say ‘I sat him down in the corner.’

But ‘I was sat down by someone’ isn’t correct, I don’t think.

Why do people no longer capitalise 'i' ?

That would be a ecumenical matter

Is it colloquial to particular parts of UK, or is it widespread I wonder?

It's not just widespread in speech. Unfortunately it's also becoming widespread in a great many modern books, as is I was stood and several other similar horrors.

This is my greatest pet peeve about living in the UK. It is widespread and used by highly educated people who must think it's correct. It grates on my ears every single time I hear it and I'm still mentally correcting it almost 10 years later!
I work as a teacher in a primary school and I wonder if my colleagues would allow a child to write it down, or would it look wrong?

Don't even get me started on the misuse of "and I" instead of "and me". I was particularly shocked when a teacher friend of mine messaged me using "and I" instead of "and me".

Bring back Latin in schools!

@OchonAgusOchonOh don’t forget ’and myself’ 😁

Yes! I agree with the @FeeFiFoFummy totally!

I especially hate when people use the expression for emphasis.

'I was sat in A and E for 3 hours'

'I was sat with my mate when this bloke was chatting me up' etc

Urggggghhhh

Yes, I hear this from most of the English people I know. I don't actually mind it - I view it as a charming regional quirk.

However, I do mind when I hear "we was sat" as this is just wrong. I always correct my son when he says "we was" or [shudder] "you was".

Oh god yes please make it stop! hardly a post on MN these days doesn't manage to shoehorn in a superfluous 'I was SAT there', 'he was STOOD beside me' - just why??? mostly the sentence doesn't even need it!

Not just MN either - it's everywhere.

I'm Irish. That's perfectly acceptable in Hiberno English. Well, so long as it's used properly e..g. Himself and myself were up to no good😏

I think if the teacher pushed you down into the chair by your shoulders, you could say 'he sat me in the chair.' Or in any instance where the action was compelled, as in 'he sat me down and told me the news.' I don't think 'he seated me' would be right for that: it would imply a table plan!

Yes, that's correct. If it's being actively done to you you could use "he sat me down". But there is no "was" in the sentence as it's not passive.

I always think about this when the English have a go at American grammar.

Quite agree - it's one of my pet hates, along with 'I was stood' or 'I was laying' - such sloppy grammar.

Yes, see my earlier post.

I missed your previous post. Yes, I fully agree.

I don't understand how these constructs get so badly mangled and then become commonplace. Recommend me a ... also drives me insane. I can recommend you or I can recommend something to you but that's it.