No, no, NO! He was SITTING at his desk! Did someone have to pick him up and plonk him on his chair? Of course they didn't. So he wasn't sat at all; he did it all by himself. He was sitting at his desk. As the meercat would say - simples.
Am I the only person who hates this particular grammatical abuse, which seems to be here to stay? Or am I a pedant?
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Oh dear, I'm guilty of this one. Once it's pointed out to me, I see I'm wrong ... but I keep on doing it. I WILL try harder.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I'm guilty too - I do try to correct myself, but occasionally a sat just slips out before I can stop it!
ReplyDeleteI hate it too - no excuse for it in my book, so if you're a pedant, so am I. ♥ And don't get me started on your and you're, or there and their when it comes to the written word!
ReplyDeleteI keep hearing this one these days and don't understand how it came about.
ReplyDeletePeople also keep saying, 'I was led (lead?) on the bed.'
Where does that come from?
I'm with Patsy and Teresa. I've become so used to seeing it that I have to be careful not to fall into the trap myself.
ReplyDeleteYes - you're a pedant but an absolutely correct pedant!!! I agree with you about things like that standing out- they irritate the hell out of me too!
ReplyDeleteSupport here from a fellow pedant. Sorry - it's unacceptable. Or is modern English becoming more sloppy?
ReplyDeletePatsy, and Teresa...what can I say?
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Jinksy!
Joanna, I fear it's hear to stay, but I shall fight it to the death.
Ts ts, Keith.
Pat and Author Doc - pedants unite! But what is far worse is the "I went, like..." for "I said". Where on earth did that come from?
Guilty, though I reckon I can claim some kind of immunity, since I usually write in character. But I'm smart enough to know the difference, so I'm casting my vote to the pedants.
ReplyDeleteMmmm, my big and readily admitted problem is with to and too - always has been and always will be (I think).
ReplyDeleteAnna :o]
No excuses, Valance.
ReplyDeleteAnna, at least you can't hear the difference between to and too!
Darn.
ReplyDeleteI am the pedant of pedants. Not only when it comes to correct spelling and grammar, but also in putting magazines on the coffee table at right angles and so on. My sister and my main squeeze love disturbing my order when they are at my place, you should hear him giggling in the bathroom when he turns the tooth paste the wrong way round in the cabinet...
ReplyDeleteOh, by the way, I think last time I looked, your blog had 48 or 49 followers. Congratulations to having 50!
I always correct it when I see it in a student's work, but it's so common these days, and they're always really surprised that I think it's wrong!
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you, Frances! I haven't been aware of it here in this part of Scotland yet, but I've heard it on TV. It seems to be one of these grammatical changes that is creeping in, but I always thought it was mainly a part of local dialect in some areas.
ReplyDeleteLibrarian, I would expect nothing less of you.
ReplyDeleteYou too, Fran!
And you, Rosemary!
Don't like it,try not to use it, but may have done in the past. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteThat's all right, Colette. At least you apologised.
ReplyDeleteThat would be a meerkat who lives in a zoo in Eng-e-land? At home in South Africa our simple doesn't have another s on it. ;~)
ReplyDeleteI hate the expression too. I try not to keep hating ungrammatical expressions, though, since if I do, I tend to go round the whole day in a temper! :)
ReplyDeleteHi, Elephnt's Eye. The meerkat is a reference to a very successful TV advertisement over here. "Simples" is meerkat-speak (we don't usualy have the extra s either)!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind comments, Better is Possible. As to that particular grammatical error, count yourselves lucky if you don't have it - it's endemic over here!
You don't have to hate, Jenny. Strong disapproval will do nicely!