“Lie” and “Lay”

The verb “lie” means to be at rest, especially in a horizontal position. (“I’m going to lie down for a nap.”) The verb “lie” also means to be in some condition. (“The fault lies with the pilot.”) In either case, the subject of the sentence does not affect anything or anyone else. (The verb “lie” can also mean to say something untrue, but that use rarely causes problems.)

“Lay” means to put or place something. “I lay down the book.” “The hens lay the eggs.” Here, the subject affects something else. In grammatical terms, the “book” and the “egg” are “direct objects” because the subjects are directly affecting them.

So far so good. The challenge comes in the past tense. “Lay” becomes “laid” and “(had) laid.” “Lie” becomes “lay” and “(had) lain.”

Two problems. First, the past tense of “lie” is the same as the present tense of “lay.” And, in use, the latter sounds like “laid.” “She lay down for a nap” (which is correct) sounds a great deal like “she laid down for a nap” (which is incorrect).

Here’s a trick to help you use the words correctly. “Lie” and “lay” (in the past tense) are almost always followed by the word “down.” “I need to lie down.” “He lay down for a long nap.” “Lay” (present tense) and “laid” are always followed by the object of their action. “Just lay the mail on the counter.” “He laid the book on the table.”

Hope this helps. For a detailed discussion of “lie” and “lay,” visit http://owlet.letu.edu/grammarlinks/verbs/verb3d.html

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