Blast from the Past: What is the difference between "lie" and "lay"?

[green_grrl]

skroberts did a really great job of describing the grammatical difference between lie, which never takes an object, and lay, which always takes an object, in the original lie/lay post. Here are a few more tips for remembering the difference, with some help from our friends from Due South.

Comments

[semisweetsoul]

Oh boy! I always get these two confused. I've given up on having it correct without checking in a dictionary first.

[green_grrl]

Try lie independently versus lAying something down. Or, see two comments down, recline versus place!

[starry_diadem]

One of the pettest of my pet peeves, and sadly becoming so prevalent that I fear the wrong usage will eventually squeeze out what's correct.

[green_grrl]

I worry about that, too! When reading, I now have to go back and think through the correct usage to confirm it's correct, since I've seen it wrong so often. Argh! :-(

[diebirchen]

I think of "lie" having an "i" as does "recline," and "lay" having an "a" as does "place," as in "place it down." The real problem with "lie," however, is that the past tense is "lay," and even worse, the past participle is "lain," a word that few ever use. It's right up there with "swum" as words teens think don't exist.

[green_grrl]

Ooo, recline/place is an excellent mnemonic!

And yes, all sorts of irregular past participles are rare as rhinos these days. I cringe at the odd usages I see from writers who don't know the proper verb form!

[snailbones]

Fabulous post, thank you! Also - things like this make me incredibly happy that I learned English as my first language, because lie and lay would surely defeat me otherwise *g*

[green_grrl]

Native language is a huuuge advantage with English! It's just so crazy keeping all the weird bits straight.

[campylobacter]

OMG I think I re-read skroberts lie/lay post twice, before I wrote this line for one of my fanfics:

I let you lie here and lay on a big lie while lying low and getting laid.

fandom_grammar Appreciation Life! There can never be enough articles about these 2 words.

[green_grrl]

That is incredibly ambitious! And you did get it all right! That deserves a special medal for courageous use of lie and lay. :D

[campylobacter]

It was dialog for Daniel Jackson, who -- of all characters in all fandoms -- would be the most likely to play with the words and use them correctly.