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Ryansamturner Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Sat in or Sat on?

''''For the entire night, I sat in the hard plastic chair next to her bed with only a blanket draped across me.'''''

Should it be 'sat on'? Or can I use either?
  

Top answer

"sat in" suggests a chair that you sink into, such as a big comfy armchair. In the case of a "hard plastic chair", it should be "sat on".

— GPY

  • "sat in" suggests a chair that you sink into, such as a big comfy armchair.
  • In the case of a "hard plastic chair", it should be "sat on".
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5 Answers
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"sat in" suggests a chair that you sink into, such as a big comfy armchair. In the case of a "hard plastic chair", it should be "sat on".
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Thanks.

Following on from that.

Say the person then fell asleep while sitting on that chair.

'''I Sat her down on the same chair that I had slept in.'''

I assume that would be correct, as you wouldn't really sleep 'on' a chair.
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Again, "slept in" seems possible only in the case of a big, enveloping chair. Otherwise, I think you would have to say "on", but whether you can properly sleep on a hard plastic chair with no support may be debatable. In my experience, as far as I can remember, you tend to suddenly wake up just as you're about to fall off.
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Suggestion: I fell asleep while sitting on the chair.
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tamguatlaySuggestion: I fell asleep while sitting on the chair.
Yes, I think this sounds better than "slept on the chair".
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