Michelle Finlay

Stationery/Stationary Paper and envelopes/Remain still

and if we see the same mistake over and over again, we begin to see it as acceptable

When using the verbs ‘sit’ and ‘stand’, in particular, it has become commonplace to use the Past Participle instead of the Present Participle. Thus people might say ‘I was sat on the bus when it began to snow’, or ‘He was stood watching the carnival’ – this form is only correct if the passive voice is being used – i.e. as if somebody had placed ‘me’ in a seated position in the bus, or had placed the man in a standing position as though we were children or toys.