0

https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/sit-in-for

to take the place of someone temporarily

I’ll be sitting in for the secretary at/on the meeting tonight.

Is the use of "sit in for" common or is this one used more:

He's taking place of her for a day.

Which one is used more "sit in for" or "take somebody's place"(temporary)? And can "on" be used instead of "at" for the meeting? I'll be sitting in for the secretary on the meeting.

Improve this question
2
  • 1
    Not quite sure of what the problem is here. You have an expression and an example of its use. The dictionary tells you to use "at the meeting". And the dictionary tells you the meaning of "sitting in for". You have an alternative (that you have have incorrectly re-ordered from the dictionary example. ("take her place", not "take place of her" ) I would do what the dictionary says. You can use "sitting in for" in this context but the preposition is "at".
    – James K
    Commented Apr 19, 2019 at 16:30
  • So @James K what's more commonly used? "Take place" or "sit in for"?
    – It's about English
    Commented May 19, 2019 at 11:27

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

Firstly, I would rephrase "He's taking place of her for a day" to:

He's taking her place (at the meeting) for a day.

To preserve "place of her" the sentence could be phrased as:

He will be at the meeting in place of her.

According to Google Ngrams "sit in for" is more common in American English than in British English, but not by much.

Improve this answer
2
  • So what would be more common "sit in for" or "take her place"? What will most likely be used by the natives???
    – It's about English
    Commented May 19, 2019 at 11:01
  • "Sit in for" is definitely more likely, especially in a situation where there is actual sitting going on (like a meeting).
    – Elininja
    Commented May 19, 2019 at 15:01

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .