Sitting down v Sat down v Alternatives

[lovingthesun]

My friend is always picking up on my use of "he was sitting down in the corner" "she was sitting on the sofa"

When I've questioned is, she says "what so someone picked him/her up & sat them down ?"

Can someone please explain the correct statement to me ?

FWIW my DD is currently sitting on the sofa or she is sat on the sofa...either way she climbed up there herself

don't quite get your op (did you mean to write "...my use of "he was sat down in the corner"?)

"He was sitting in the corner." is correct.

"He was sat in the corner." means, as your friend says, that somebody (else) sat them down.

Yes, "He was sitting in the corner," is correct.

As an English teacher it's a real bugbear of mine that "he was sat" has become acceptable. I always mark it as wrong but have noticed that my colleagues don't bother. Whether they think it's right or they are simply picking their battles, I haven't dared to ask!

It's a very common mistake. Easy way to remember is to try it with another verb. Eg "she was drank/drinking a fruit shoot". Then the correct one is more obvious.

GRRR at "he was sat".

I think you'll find it should be "He were sat sitting on the sofa" according to Tel anyway.

He was seated on the sofa?

He was sitting... sitting being an ongoing statement.

Your DD is sitting... she was and still is....

"we were sitting in the corner for hours"

"we were sat in the corner but couldnt see so we moved and spent the rest of the match sitting behind the goal".

I hate hearing "he was sat". I shout at the TV when I hear it.

Is sat not the preterite tense of sit? Mrssawdust?

See I would query your use of 'we were sat...' in your example, BigBadMummy - I think that is also wrong.

"We were sitting in the corner but couldn't see...', surely?

I am also an English teacher and 'I was sat...' is a real bugbear of mine. On a par with 'I would of...', possibly! And the use of 'loose' for 'lose' - how can those two words be confused? How?

Sleeping lion - you'll have to learn your pupils the difference! ;)

I will. I'll do a whole double lesson on it - that'll learn 'em!

thanks ladies, very informative & very entertaining - I will remember now. I hadn't really thought about it before.

I have to say I was quite amused when said friend reported "he hurt 'is leg" in a later conversation

lovingthesun I truly mean this in the nicest possible way, but in the statement "He hurt 'is leg" there is no error in the grammar at all. You are picking up only on the pronunciation of the word "his" which is due only to accent. And it's not PC to say that someone's accent is an incorrect use of language. So it's not really on a par with the 'sat / sitting' error. Sorry.

To further clarify the sat/sitting rule:

The -ing form of the the verb is called the present continuous. It can only be used as an auxiliary verb (not a main verb) so it is always used after a main verb, usually 'is' and it's different tense forms (are, am, was etc.)

He is leaving.

They are dancing.

I was eating.

We were sitting.

But you can't use two main verbs together in one clause. So the following are wrong:

He is left.

They are dance.

I was eat.

We were sat.

Hope that clears up the technical nuances.

It's ok my point was that she is not the impeccable english speaker she likes to think she is. It's not her accent, it's laziness.