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Writing Tip: May 14, 2002
"Lie" and "Lay"
Which of these sentences use forms of the verbs "to lie" and "to lay" correctly?
1. Every afternoon we lay down and rest for an hour.
2. Luke laid on the beach and soaked up the sunshine.
3. Yesterday Juan laid on his sofa watching television for three hours.
4. The reports were laying on my desk this morning.
5. When Sabine comes home every afternoon, she lays her coat on a chair by the door.
6. I distinctly remember lying my keys on the kitchen counter.Only number 5 is correct.
"To lie" is an intransitive verb. It describes an action undertaken by the subject, but it has no direct object. That is, the verb "to lie" does not express the kind of action that can be DONE TO anything. Think of it as meaning "to recline."
It is conjugated in this manner:
I LIE here every day. (She LIES here.)
I LAY here yesterday.
I WILL LIE here tomorrow.
I AM LYING here right now.
I HAVE LAIN here every day for years.Notice that we never use the word "laid" to describe the act of reclining.
"To lay" is a transitive verb. It describes an action and needs a direct object because it describes the kind of action that is DONE TO something. That is, something or someone in the sentence has to be receiving the action of the verb. Think of this verb as meaning "to place," "to put."
It is conjugated in this manner:
I LAY my book on the table every night before turning out the light. (She LAYS her book on the table.)
I LAID my book on the table last night.
I WILL LAY my book on the table tonight.
I AM LAYING my book on the table right now.
I HAVE LAID my book on the table every night for years.Dear Abby is fond of describing the difference between these two words by saying that people lie and chickens lay, but that trick works only in the present tense. People can also "lay" if they reclined yesterday.
Let's return to our opening sentences:
1. Every afternoon we lay down and rest for an hour.
"Lay" cannot be correct because we mean "to recline," and the present tense form of the verb "to lie" is "lie." The only time we can use "lay" to mean "to recline" is in the past tense.
CORRECTION: Every afternoon we LIE down and rest for an hour.
2. Luke laid on the beach and soaked up the sunshine.
This sentence describes an act of reclining that occurred in the past. Therefore, we should have used "lay," the past tense of the verb "to lie":
CORRECTION: Luke LAY on the beach and soaked up the sunshine.
3. Yesterday Juan laid on his sofa watching television for three hours.
This sentence also describes an act of reclining that occurred in the past. Thus, it should have used the past tense of the verb "to lie."
CORRECTION: Yesterday Juan LAY on his sofa watching television for three hours.
4. The reports were laying on my desk this morning.
These reports were reclining; they were not placing anything. Notice that there is no direct object in this sentence, and all forms of the verb "to lay" require a direct object that receives the action expressed by the verb.
CORRECTION: The reports were LYING on my desk this morning.
5. When Sabine comes home every afternoon, she lays her coat on a chair by the door.
This sentence is correct. She puts or places her coat on the chair. "Coat" is the direct object, the thing that was placed.
6. I distinctly remember lying my keys on the kitchen counter.
Because the subject of this sentence ("I") is placing the keys on the counter, and because the verb has a direct object ("keys"), we need a form of the verb "to lay":
CORRECTION: I distinctly remember LAYING my keys on the kitchen counter.
Here are the two most common mistakes people make with these verbs:
(1) They use "lay" when they should use "lie," as in the sentence "I am going to lay down and rest" ("lay" should be "lie").
(2) They use "laid" when they should use "lay," as in the sentence "Fred laid on the sofa all afternoon watching television" ("laid" should be "lay").
Here are two tips for correcting those common errors:
(1) Remember that the infinitive of the verb that means "to recline" is "to lie," not "to lay." Thus, if you are talking about the act of reclining and are using the infinitive form, you must use "to lie," not "to lay."
(2) Remember that the verb "laid" will always have a direct object: for you to use the word "laid" correctly in a sentence, something or someone in your sentence must be getting put or placed.
Here is a recap of the forms that go with each verb:
"to lie" = "to recline" (cannot have a direct object)
lie, lay, lying, lain"to lay" = "to place" (must have a direct object)
lay, laid, laying, laidTEST YOURSELF
Can you spot errors in the use of the verbs "to lie" and "to lay" in the following sentences?
1. My headache was so intense yesterday that I had to lay down before dinner.
2. Marsha lay the triplets in the playpen while she cooked dinner.
3. Marsha lays the triplets in the playpen whenever she has work to do.
4. Hector laid on the beach all morning.ANSWERS
1. My headache was so intense yesterday that I had TO LIE down before dinner. ["To lay" is the infinitive form meaning "to place," which is incorrect in this sentence because nothing is being placed (there is no direct object).]
2. Marsha LAID the triplets in the playpen while she cooked dinner. [The past tense of "cooked" tells us that we need the past tense of the verb "to lay" (meaning "to place").]
3. Marsha LAYS the triplets in the playpen whenever she has work to do. CORRECT. [Here we need the present tense form of the verb that means "to place."]
4. Hector LAY on the beach all morning. [Hector didn't place anything; he simply reclined. Thus, we need the past tense form of the verb "to lie."]
Copyright 2002 Get It Write
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