Grammatically Correct 11/16/04
A weekly grammar tip created by Academic Center Peer Writing Tutors.
University of Houston-Victoria
3007 N. Ben Wilson
Victoria, TX 77901
Sit versus Set
by Shawn Brett
It is a common mistake to use sit in place of set and vice-versa. The difference is that set is a transitive verb meaning “to place, adjust, or arrange something” and sit is an intransitive verb meaning “to rest.”

Ex: It is time to sit down at the table and eat.
Ex: Could you set the dishes on the table?

It’s also helpful to take a look at the different forms of each of these verbs. Sit is an irregular verb and therefore requires unusual spelling changes for the past and past participle forms. Set is in the same form for present, past, and past participle

Present
Past
Past Participle
sit sat (have, has, had) sat
set set (have, has, had) set

Ex: Sit at the desk and do your homework.
Ex: Set your pencil down after completing the test.
Ex: Because the milk sat on the cabinet all day, it was completely spoiled when we found it.
Ex: The car has sat in the airport parking for months.
Ex: He had set his alarm clock yesterday, but for some reason it never went off.
Ex: Did you set the picture frame on the cabinet?

Definitions

transitive verb:
A verb that must have an object. There must be something (some type of item, place, person, or other object) that receives the action of the verb.

intransitive verb:
A verb that has a subject, but no object.

past participle:
A participle (form of a verb that can be used as an adjective and to form compound tenses) that expresses a completed action.

Definitions are from Longman Advanced American Dictionary.
Recommended Grammar Website of the Week
by Shawn Brett
In addition to our own website, this week we recommend A Research Guide for Students by I. Lee. This website is dedicated to helping students conduct research and organize it in an effective manner. There are also tips for various types of styles (APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, CGOS, CBE, Harvard) as well as tips on how to avoid plagiarism.

Visit A Research Guide for Students at http://geocities.com/researchguide.

Test Your Knowledge
by Shawn Brett
Test your understanding by choosing the correct word in the following sentences.

1. The delivery driver (set, sat) the package in the garage.

2. Go (sit, set) down on the couch.

3. They are (setting, sitting) up the party as we speak.


Answers

1. The delivery driver set the package in the garage.

2. Go sit down on the couch.

3. They are setting up the party as we speak.

 

Grammatically Correct is a grammar tip of the week created by Academic Center Peer Writing Tutors at the University of Houston-Victoria in Victoria, Texas.

Comments about this newsletter should be directed to Summer Leibensperger, leibenspergers@uhv.edu.

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