Basic Details
Word: Sitting
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Resting on your bottom with your back upright; as a noun, a sitting is one period of time when a group meets or a meal is served.
Synonyms: seated, session
Antonyms: standing
How to Spell Sitting
Syllables: sit - ting
Tricky part: Sit has a short vowel and ends in one consonant, so the t doubles before ing. With one t it becomes siting, a different word.
Watch out for: sittin, sittng
Memory tip: A short vowel needs a guard: sit doubles its t to protect the short i, just as in hitting and knitting.
Idioms and Phrases
- a sitting duck: someone or something that is very easy to attack or criticise. Example: "Parked on the open road, the broken-down van was a sitting duck for thieves."
Usage Examples
Example 1: Grandpa has been sitting on the verandah since morning, waiting for the postman.
Example 2: I read the whole comic in one sitting.
Example 3: The hall was so full that people were sitting on the stairs.
Fun Fact
In Parliament, a sitting is one meeting of a House from the time it begins until it is adjourned, and each session has many sittings.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word sitting as used in the sentence:
The passengers were sitting on their suitcases while the train was delayed.
a) resting
b) perching
c) seated
d) standing
Show answer
d) standing. Seated, resting and perching all keep you off your feet; standing is the opposite.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. kneling 2. leanning 3. sitting 4. lieing
a) resting with your weight on your bottom
b) resting on one or both knees
c) resting against something at an angle
d) resting flat on a surface
Show answer
a) resting with your weight on your bottom. Kneeling has ee, lying changes ie to y, and leaning has one n, so sitting is the one spelt right.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
My grandparents' ttniisg room is full of old photographs.
a) sitting
b) tinting
c) sifting
d) setting
Show answer
a) sitting. There are two i's and two t's but no e, f or second n, so the word is sitting, as in sitting room.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In 'She finished the book at one sitting', a sitting means ____.
a) one continuous period
b) a page of the book
c) a school lesson
d) a kind of chair
Show answer
a) one continuous period
2. Which of these words doubles its last letter before ing, as sit does?
a) sleep
b) read
c) eat
d) hit
Show answer
d) hit
