Using lay versus lie has come up quite a bit, so here’s a re-do of my 2013 post on these tricky words.
Lay is an active verb. A person picks up a book and lays it on a chair. A chicken lays an egg. (The person and chicken are active.)
Lie is a still verb. People lie on beds. Cats lie on people. Fleas lie on cats. (The people, cats, and fleas are still.)
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Lay: to place or set something
Simple | Progressive | Perfect | Perfect progressive (action continues for a while) | |
Present | I lay
You lay He/she/it lays They lay |
I am laying
You are laying She is laying They are laying |
I have laid
You have laid She has laid They have laid |
I have been laying
You have been laying She has been laying They have been laying |
Past | I laid
You laid She laid They laid |
I was laying
You were laying She was laying They were laying |
I had laid
You had laid She had laid They had laid |
I had been laying
You had been laying She had been laying They had been laying |
Future | I will lay
You will lay She will lay They will lay |
I will be laying
You will be laying She will be laying They will be laying |
I will have laid
You will have laid She will have laid They will have laid |
I will have been laying
You will have been laying She will have been laying They will have been laying |
——————————————————————————————-
Lie: to recline or repose somewhere.
Simple | Progressive | Perfect | Perfect progressive (action continues for a while) | |
Present | I lie
You lie He/she/it lies They lie |
I am lying
You are lying She is lying They are lying |
I have lain
You have lain She has lain They have lain |
I have been lying
You have been lying She has been lying They have been lying |
Past | I lay
You lay She lay They lay |
I was lying
You were lying She was lying They were lying |
I had lain
You had lain She had lain They had lain |
I had been lying
You had been lying She had been lying They had been lying |
Future | I will lie
You will lie She will lie They will lie |
I will be lying
You will be lying She will be lying They will be lying |
I will have lain
You will have lain She will have lain They will have lain |
I will have been lying
You will have been lying She will have been lying They will have been lying |
Here are some great tips to help remember the differences, from Painless Grammar, by Rebecca Elliott, Ph.D.:
- Think of to lay the same way as to say and to pay. If talking about today, we say, “I pay”, “I say.” If it’s about yesterday, we say, “I paid”, “I said”, “I have paid”, “I have said.” To lay works the same way: lay, laid, laid.
- Substitute the word place or put. If the sentence makes sense, you want lay; otherwise, you want lie.
- Example 1: You place the book on the table. It makes sense. Therefore, You lay the book on the table.
- Example 2: You place in your bed at night. It doesn’t make sense. Therefore, You lie in your bed at night.
- My favorite: No one ever says that chickens lie eggs. Chickens are active and lay eggs, so visualize the action when you are writing about how you lay out a rug, or lay down your book.
- Lie is a quiet or still word. A fun example from the book: At night, I turn out my light and lie. (I’m going to lie down for a nap.) Whether it’s on a couch, beach blanket, or bed, if you are quietly reclining, you’re lying (not laying).
I still find myself challenged with this pairing at times and need to look back at these notes — if I can’t think of any other words to use in their place.
I hope you have a great week!
Lisa J. Jackson is an independent writer and editor who enjoys working with manufacturing, software, and technology businesses of all sizes. She loves researching topics, interviewing experts, and helping companies tell their stories. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Reblogged this on Shewrite63 and commented:
Thank you, NHWN for this refresher on the uses of lay and lie. It took me a long time to get it right.
If you have time and energy, spot the errors in this storybook about a cat’s Quest for Nap: http://web.ncf.ca/co848/iWeb/light/Storyboard.html
I should make the time to correct it…
Reblogged this on thecreativemeblog.
These words still trip me up. Thanks for the great overview, I need to print this out!
No matter how hard you try, you will never get a teenager who is about to go sunbathing with friends to say, “We’re going to go lie out.”
I have bookmarked this so I can find it later. Thank you!
Based on my reading of a lot of different kinds of texts (including traditionally published and well-reviewed novels), I’d say this battle is lost. I’ll still observe this rule, just as I observe the which/that distinction, and most of the time the who/whom distinction, but this is one of those changes in English (like loss of inflection) that drives purists crazy but is probably here to stay. 😦
I am quite guilty of using these words incorrectly; I get confused. Thank you for clarifying! 😀
Very good information and a great focus item for those who still speak and write “proper” English. Or, at least, attempt to speak and write it correctly. This helps.
Yep, still have this problem, even though I know the differences. I caught this typo of mine today related to lie and to lay.
I look at it as hey, lie does not have a direct object. Lay does have a direct object.
So, for example, “I lie on the floor” would be correct because there would be no noun immediately after the verb. “I lay the book on the floor” would also be correct because the word, book, serves as the direct object.
This example only works with some knowledge of grammar.
I got stuck on this very dilemma yesterday – now I know which one to use. Thanks for sharing.
Reblogged this on Words Can Inspire The World.
Thanks, Lisa. Very helpful examples.
basically, almost every time people say “lay” today, they mean “lie.” likewise almost every time people say “laying,” they mean “lying.” if you almost always say “lie” and “lying,” you are going to be correct almost all the time. it’s pretty much that simple.
When I was a pup, “lay” and “lie” were referred to as transitive and intransitive, resp. Are active and still the new terms for those? Anyway, good review.
Thank you thank you for this! really helpful! Hope you can make an entry too about prepositions. in, on and at may be very simple but they can be confusing too! e.g. in the bus.. on the bus? lol thanks so much in advance!
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Thanks so much, that one has always been catching me out. I guess I wasn’t paying attention in school.
Thank you. It’s so good to have it spelled out like you have done. A great reference. Appreciated. .
Reblogged this on Slattery's Art of Horror Magazine and commented:
Grammar tip of the day:
It’s been a while since I’ve seen the verb tenses like this – Forgot how sensible these charts are.
Still, love the “put” substitute hint.
Thanks