![]() ![]() (In contrast, when lie is used as a verb meaning to tell an untruth, its past tense is simply lied.) The past tense of lay as in “put or place down” is laid, as in I laid the bags on the table. ![]() The confusion between the two words is largely due to the fact that lay is also the irregular past tense form of this sense of lie, as in I lay in bed yesterday morning wishing I could go back to sleep. Although lay and lie are often used interchangeably in casual communication, it’s best to use them in the standard way in more formal contexts. Though this use is considered nonstandard, lay is commonly used to mean the same thing as this sense of lie, as in I just want to lay in bed for a few more minutes. ![]() If you’re the one lying comfortably on your back, you want the verb lie, but if you can replace the verb with place or put ( Please place the book on the table), then use the verb lay ( Please lay the book on the table). In contrast, lie is something you do yourself without any other recipients of the action. Lay is typically used with an object, meaning someone or something is getting laid down by someone. Lie is an intransitive verb, meaning it does not take a direct object ( Don’t just lie there). The sense of lie that’s often confused with lay means to be in or get into a reclining position-to recline, as in I just want to lie in bed for a few more minutes. It’s a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object ( I lay the quilt on the couch I lay the book on the table). Lay commonly means to put or place someone or something down, as in Lay the bags on the table or I’m going to lay the baby in the crib. In this article, we’ll break down the difference between lay and lie, including the past tense forms and the phrases lay down, lie down, and laid down. Both words involve something or someone in a horizontal position, but where the two words differ has to do with who or what is horizontal-the subject of the verb (the one doing the action) or the direct object (the person or thing being acted upon). The difference between the verbs lay and lie is one of English’s most confusing questions. It’s best to avoid this use (and the confusion it can cause) in formal contexts. A nonstandard but common use of lay is to mean the same thing as the present tense of lie, as in I just want to lay in bed for a few more minutes or I laid down for a few hours. Lay down can mean “to place down” ( Lay down your bags), but it can also be the past tense of lie down, as in I lay down for a few hours. The word lay is also the past tense form of the sense of lie that means “to recline,” as in I lay in bed yesterday. If you want to brush up, focus on the present and past tenses-they do most of the work by far-and check the dictionary entries when you're not sure.Īnd even if you are certain, give the other guy a break.Lay means “to place or put” ( Lay that here). And then there's the unrelated verb meaning "to tell an untruth." That lie goes lie, lied, have lied, lying. I laid it down as I have laid other books down.ĭid you catch that? For lay, we have lay, laid, have laid, laying for lie, we have lie, lay, have lain, lying. Here's lay in context in tenses that show its principal forms: That's tricky enough, but it gets worse when we start using the words beyond the present tense. ![]() It's for something or someone moving on their own or something that's already in position: You can lie down there. Lay's most common meaning is "to place (something or someone) down in a flat position." Lie's corresponding meaning is "to be in a flat position on a surface." Lay is transitive it requires that the verb have an object there has to be a thing or person being placed: Lay it down. If you're someone who cares about writing and speaking carefully, though, your communication skills will be strengthened by keeping them straight, so here's the lowdown. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |