Word use question...

[fajrdrako]

When I read Torchwood: Almost Perfect by James Goss, I noticed that he had a way of using the verb 'to sit' that was new to me. Instead of saying "he sat" or "he was sitting" or even "he sat down", he'd say, "he was sat". Sounds passive to me, but clearly wasn't meant to be. There was no agent but the subject doing the sitting.

I've noticed this several times since, always in a British context. Just now I heard someone say, "you must have been sat in the row behind me" instead of (as I would say) "you must have sat".

Could someone explain to me how this works? Is it a new British expression?

Comments

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

The Canadian accent... well. It is what it is. Doesn't sound like much to me, but it wouldn't, would it? If you ever get a chance to talk to me, you'll know!

You've probably heard it a lot on American TV shows taped in Canada - Highlander and Forever Knight are typical - most of the actors there, excepting the leads, are Canadian.