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Sit vs. Set 1187 Views


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Want even more deets on Sit vs. Set? Click here to review. Or take a look at our entire grammar section for all the goods.

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Transcript

00:04

Sit versus Set, a la Shmoop. You could sit on the couch with the rest of

00:09

your family to watch "The Sound of Music"...

00:12

...your mom's fave, how fun...

00:15

...or, you could set a mannequin dressed like you in front of the TV...

00:20

...go hide in your bed...

00:20

...and repeat the rule for "sit" versus "set" until you can no longer hear the

00:24

sound of singing nuns. Here's what you need to know for this grammar

00:29

rule...

00:30

..."set" requires a direct object...

00:32

...and "sit" does not. Maria the novice nun sits on a pine cone during

00:38

a Von Trapp family dinner.

00:40

Liesl sat in the gazebo with her wannabe Nazi boyfriend.

00:44

See? No direct objects follow "sit". Captain Von Trapp set his cattle prod on the

00:50

mantelpiece...

00:51

...then Maria set it in the garbage. Clearly, nuns and war heroes have very different ideas

00:56

about how to discipline children.

00:58

The Von Trapp children secretly set the clothes Maria made them on fire. We would, too. Those

01:04

lederhosen were a crime against fashion.

01:07

In these examples, direct objects follow the word "set".

01:11

If you're having trouble remembering that "set" requires a direct object...

01:14

...and "sit" does not...

01:16

...just try this trick. Imagine that you have a dog.

01:19

Imagine commanding your imaginary dog to "Sit!" There's no direct object needed here...

01:25

...because all you want is for your imaginary dog to put its imaginary rear on the ground.

01:30

Now that you've got a grasp on this grammar rule, it's time to decide whether to set your

01:34

teeth and sit through 180 minutes of musical hell...

01:38

...or hide in your blanket fort. We won't think you're a coward if you go with Option Two.

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