Lay or Lie?
Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2014 3:26 pm
This is the most difficult of all the irregular verbs, and if Jan has trouble, we are in good company.
Lay means to "set something down" or to "put something down."
Therefore, lay and its forms MUST take an object.
Simple present = lay(s).
The chickens lay four eggs. (Eggs = object.)
Sue lays the pie on the table. (Pie = object.)
Lay the blanket on the bed, please. (Blanket = object.)
Past tense = laid.
The chickens laid four eggs yesterday.
Sue laid the pie on the table.
I laid the blanket on the bed.
Past participle = laid. (With auxiliary.)
The chickens have laid four eggs today.
Sue has laid the pie on the table.
I have laid the blanket on the bed.
Present participle = laying. (With auxiliary.)
The chickens are laying four eggs.
Sue is laying the pie on the table.
I am laying the blanket on the bed.
Lie means "to recline" or "to stay / rest in a horizontal position."
"Lie" and its forms do NOT take an object.
Simple present = lie(s).
The chickens lie in the coop.
Sue lies on her chaise lounge.
The blanket lies on the the bed.
Past = lay. (Here's where it gets tricky, but just remember what your subject is doing. "Setting something down" or "resting"? Don't add "s" as you would for "lay-present tense.")
The chickens lay in the coop.
Sue lay on her chaise lounge.
The blanket lay on the bed.
Past participle = lain. (With auxiliary.)
The chickens had lain in the coop.
Sue has lain on her chaise lounge.
The blanket has lain on the bed.
Present participle = lying. (With auxiliary.)_
The chickens are lying in the coop.
Sue is lying on her chaise lounge.
The blanket is lying on the bed.
For more (and maybe better) explanations and quizzes, check out these sites.
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/educat ... versus-lie
http://www.grammarmudge.cityslide.com/a ... 3/8992.htm
http://www.chompchomp.com/handouts/irregularrules02.pdf
Lay means to "set something down" or to "put something down."
Therefore, lay and its forms MUST take an object.
Simple present = lay(s).
The chickens lay four eggs. (Eggs = object.)
Sue lays the pie on the table. (Pie = object.)
Lay the blanket on the bed, please. (Blanket = object.)
Past tense = laid.
The chickens laid four eggs yesterday.
Sue laid the pie on the table.
I laid the blanket on the bed.
Past participle = laid. (With auxiliary.)
The chickens have laid four eggs today.
Sue has laid the pie on the table.
I have laid the blanket on the bed.
Present participle = laying. (With auxiliary.)
The chickens are laying four eggs.
Sue is laying the pie on the table.
I am laying the blanket on the bed.
Lie means "to recline" or "to stay / rest in a horizontal position."
"Lie" and its forms do NOT take an object.
Simple present = lie(s).
The chickens lie in the coop.
Sue lies on her chaise lounge.
The blanket lies on the the bed.
Past = lay. (Here's where it gets tricky, but just remember what your subject is doing. "Setting something down" or "resting"? Don't add "s" as you would for "lay-present tense.")
The chickens lay in the coop.
Sue lay on her chaise lounge.
The blanket lay on the bed.
Past participle = lain. (With auxiliary.)
The chickens had lain in the coop.
Sue has lain on her chaise lounge.
The blanket has lain on the bed.
Present participle = lying. (With auxiliary.)_
The chickens are lying in the coop.
Sue is lying on her chaise lounge.
The blanket is lying on the bed.
For more (and maybe better) explanations and quizzes, check out these sites.
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/educat ... versus-lie
http://www.grammarmudge.cityslide.com/a ... 3/8992.htm
http://www.chompchomp.com/handouts/irregularrules02.pdf