Grammar-ease: Lying vs Laying (Lie vs Lay)


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…

Live to Write - Write to Live

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.)

——————————————————————————————————

Lay: to place or set something

SimpleProgressivePerfectPerfect progressive (action continues for a while)
PresentI 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

PastI laid

You laid

She laid

They laid

View original post 575 more words

About shewrite63

I am Theresa. I am a Mother, Grandmother and intermittent writer. I published a bittersweet novel in 2011 under the pen name of Florence T Lyon. I am also a real life survivor, community volunteer, Archives and Records Management graduate, and long-time IT support worker trying to keep up with technological changes. Can't eke a living off of my writing skills - yet!
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