I recently posted a poll which indicated several of my watchers, and possibly writers outside my circle, are confused about using lay, lie, lay, lain and laid. Dont feel bad it confuses a lot of people. Youre not alone.
So, in keeping with
Back to Basics month, lets try to clear it up.
Resources
If youre a podcasting kind of person, check out
Grammar Girl; she covered this topic at some point, and Ill be using her transcript as my primary information source. Her quick and dirty tricks are so cool. But to be fair,
this site helped a TON too. And there were other sources as well; just Google lie vs. lay and youll find them.
Okay, so whats the problem with lay and lie?
First, lets look at present tense. This is the easy one.
Definition
A quick definition from Merriam-Webster Online:
1 a: to be or to stay at rest in a horizontal position : be prostrate : rest, recline <lie motionless> <lie asleep>
b: to assume a horizontal position often used with down
c (archaic): to reside temporarily : stay for the night : lodge.
Got that? Being in repose, resting, being still and motionless, etc. This is something you do to YOURSELF, not something you do to something (or someone) ELSE.
Let's take a look at the easy part first -- the present tense.
Present Tense
ExamplesI need to go lie down for a while. This is correct.
I need to go lay down for a while. This is INcorrect.
So, you
lie (yourself, your own person or anything attached to you) down.
Now, if youre putting something ELSE into a resting or reclined position, its lay. You dont LIE the book down, you LAY the book down. Its something you do to something OTHER than you, or something disconnected from you.
Just lay that ol thing down anywhere. Correct.
Im going to lay on the couch to watch TV. Incorrect.
See? Does that make sense?
Of course, this excludes the meaning of lie as telling an untruth. So lets leave that one out.
Theres an easy, cheesy way to remember this. For those of you who never saw the decade of the 70s, youre in for a treat. For those of you who did, remember the expression lay it on me, baby? Well, its grammatically correct. Its something YOU put on ME, so you lay it on me. Isnt that goofy? But its accurate.
Summing up: If its something youre doing to YOURSELF (resting, reclining, reposing, making horizontal, etc.), its lie (present-tense). If youre doing it to something or someone else, its lay. And keep your minds out of the gutter during the discussion, willya??
Now lets get to the ugly partthe PAST tense.
Past Tense
This all becomes just a little more
um
well, lets use the word
interesting
by making lay the past tense of lie.
So, now
if its something youre doing to yourself, its lie, and if its something you do to something or someone else its lay, unless its past tense, then its lay for something you do to yourself. Are you lost yet?
I LAY down for an hour or so earlier. Correct ... believe it or not.
I LAID down for an hour or so earlier. Incorrect ... popular usage notwithstanding.
And, now that youre thoroughly confused if you werent before, what about laid?
Laid is the past tense of the base form lay. When lay is the present tensemeaning its something you do to something or someone elseyou use laid in the past tense. (Yeah, I can hear you snickering like high school kids; one last warning about minds in the gutter!)
I LAID the book on the table before ... where is it now? Correct.
I LAID around the house all weekend. Incorrect.
*Sigh*
I know, I know. And no, theres no easy way to help you remember this, either. So let me lay it out for you again (see?? see???):
- If you do it to yourself or stuff attached to you: Lie (present), Lay (past).
- If you do it to something (or someone) else: Lay (present), Laid (past).
Okay, does that help? I sure hope so.
But even if it doesnt, dont feel bad. This is very HARD TO REMEMBER, and comes with repetition and practice. Or rote memorization, whichever you prefer.
Past Participle Forms
The present participle forms are lying for lie and laying for lay.
So then ... whats up with lain?
Okay, lain is the past participle of the lie base term. That is, when you use the past tense of the past tense, you use lain for lie. The past participle of the lay base form remains laid (thank goodness!).
Heres an example:
Susie has LAIN on the couch for two days now. Correct.
You have LAIN my fears to rest. Incorrect.
Heres another way to think about it, which requires you to decide which use makes MORE or LESS sense:
- If a form of "placed" makes more sense, use lay/laid/laid.
- If a form of "rested" makes more sense, use lie/lay/lain.
So, ask yourself which makes more sense, rested, or placed? Is it disconnected to the person doing it, or connected?
I LAID my head on the pillow. Right, or wrong? Lets test.
This is analogous to:
I placed my head on the pillow. Uh ... yuck. No.
Why? Because that suggests my head is separate from me, and is something I can place on a horizontal surface disconnected from the rest of me being prone. But its not. (Really. Seriously. Its not.) So, I couldnt have LAID my head on the pillow, I mustve LAIN my head on the pillow. That is, I rested my head on the pillow. Thatd be analogous to:
I rested my head on the pillow.Glad thats cleared up; I always try to keep my head. Heh.
So, if its something I did to myself and is the past participle, its lain instead of lay/laid. If its something I did to something else in the past participle form, then it stays laid.
Bruce Wayne has laid flowers on the site of his parents murder every year since their deaths.
I had lain on the couch for days.
Remember, if it makes more sense to use RESTED, then use lain as the past participle. If it makes more sense to use PLACED, then use laid.
(It should be noted here, though, that "laid" as a past participle form for the base form "lie" has become an accepted practice. Doesn't that make everything more clear??

)
Or just use rest/rested and place/placed and avoid the whole messy business. Your choice.
Well, thats it for this time; I hope this helped, and Ill see you again next time.
Devious Comments
it is very helpful
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JDT
My Blog
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. -Heb. 11:1
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"... forever yours, nocturnal me..."
Seriously, I HATE the past participles of the word. Probably the one that gives me the most trouble. Thanks for posting this!
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I kinda knew this already, but with otherwise very good writers getting confused by it, it's nice to have it confirmed.
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JDT
My Blog
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. -Heb. 11:1
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JDT
My Blog
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. -Heb. 11:1
You know who else mucked it up? Clapton. "Lay Down Sally" would only be correct if he were giving instructions to someone carrying her. Otherwise, if the request is to her directly, it should be "Lie down Sally."
Dumb-ass rockers.
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JDT
My Blog
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. -Heb. 11:1
--
JDT
My Blog
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. -Heb. 11:1
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