![]() Using the phrase lay down to mean the same thing is considered nonstandard, but it’s also very common. ![]() This sense of lie is commonly used in the verb phrase lie down, as in I was feeling tired so I decided to lie down. ![]() 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. The other tenses of lay are laid, as in I laid the bags on the table, and laying, as in Start laying the fruit here and the vegetables there. (In contrast, when lie is used as a verb meaning to tell an untruth, its past tense is simply lied.) The other tenses of this sense of lie are lain, as in I have lain in bed for the past three hours, and lying, as in I am lying in bed right now. The confusion between the two words is largely due to the fact that lay is also the past tense form of this sense of lie, as in I lay in bed yesterday morning wishing I could go back to sleep. Though it’s 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. 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. 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. The folders have laid on the desk since yesterday. Abandoned cars were laying along the road. In edited written English such uses of lay are rare and are usually considered nonstandard: Lay down, children. In all but the most careful, formal speech, forms of lay are commonly heard in senses normally associated with lie. The folders have lain on the desk since yesterday. The dog lay in the shade and watched the kittens play. Abandoned cars were lying along the road. ![]() Its forms are irregular its past tense form is identical with the present tense or infinitive form of lay : Lie down, children. Lay also has many intransitive senses, among them “to lay eggs” ( The hens have stopped laying ), and it forms many phrasal verbs, such as lay off “to dismiss (from employment)” or “to stop annoying or teasing” and lay over “to make a stop.” Lie, with the overall senses “to be in a horizontal position, recline” and “to rest, remain, be situated, etc.,” is intransitive and takes no object. If “place” or “put” can be substituted in a sentence, a form of lay is called for: Lay the folders on the desk. Lay is most commonly a transitive verb and takes an object. Past and past participle of that "lie" is lied and lied which should not be confused with the "lie" as in "lie down".Ĭhoose the correct options to complete the sentences.Lay 1 and lie 2 are often confused. Remember that "to lie" also has the meaning of making an untruthful statement intentionally. The verb used above is not "to lay", it's the past tense of "to lie". I lay down on the sofa when I went home yesterday. Birds lay their eggs (down).Īs you may have noticed, past tense of "to lie" is lay, that's one of the biggest reasons why we confuse them. Remember by thinking of the phrase "lay an egg". Why don't you lay down?" (Lay down what?) When we say "Lay down Jack." we are telling others to put Jack down horizontally. We don't say "I lay down" in present tense. I lay my suitcase on the table when I come home everyday. Lay is a verb meaning to place something down, and thus, it requires a direct object. I often lie down on the floor when my back aches. Lie is a verb and means to rest or recline and it does not require a direct object. Once you clearly understand the difference, it shouldn't be a problem anymore. They are actually confusing for several reasons we mention below. We hear them wrong everywhere so we doubt ourselves in movies, in songs, in the news. The reason those two are most confusing is because lie and lay are used incorrectly most often.
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