ShmoopTube

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

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

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

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

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...go hide in your bed...

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

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

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rule...

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

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

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a Von Trapp family dinner.

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Liesl sat in the gazebo with her wannabe Nazi boyfriend.

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

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mantelpiece...

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

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about how to discipline children.

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

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lederhosen were a crime against fashion.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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