Blast from the Past: Is "Was/Is Sat" Correct?

[chomiji]

Let's explore a curious quirk shared by a very few English verbs. They're all a bit irregular, and they all have to do with putting things or people into position.

Comments

[pathology_doc]

"Was seated" is the polite version, when you are describing the assignment of places at a table.

"Was sat" is IMO the impolite, informal version, and probably best describes what is done to James Bond at the start of that excruciating and infamous scene in Casino Royale.

(The squeamish should stop watching at about 28 seconds.)

[campylobacter]

THANK YOU. It's been driving me wonko when I see the "was sat/stood" construction in narrative passages which aren't northern England dialog/dialect.

I'm all for the preservation & respect of regional distinctions, but it's jarring when an author uses that colloquial construction in passages where otherwise standard English is the norm for the narrative.

[green_grrl]

There are two dead giveaways I see all the time that tip me off that a fanfic writer is British: "was sat" and "whilst."

[garonne]

Very useful, thanks! I did know about lay/lie but I had never noticed there was something similar with seat/sit and raise/rise.