The Confusion Over Lie and Lay
By Nick Daws
In this feature I examine an aspect of English usage - words,
punctuation, grammar, and so on - which can cause problems for
writers. In this issue I thought I'd focus on lie and lay, two verbs which are notoriously confusable.
Lay means 'to place something down.' It is a transitive verb, which means it is something you do to something else.
Incorrect: Lie the book on the table.
Correct: Lay the book on the table. (The action is being done to
something else.)
Lie means 'to recline' or 'be placed'. It is an intransitive verb, which means it does not act on anything or anyone else.
Incorrect: Lay down on the couch.
Correct: Lie down on the couch. (The action is not being done to
anything else.)
The main reason lay and lie are confusing is their past tenses.
The past tense of lay is laid, while the past tense of lie is lay.
Incorrect: I lay it down here yesterday.
Correct: I laid it down here yesterday. (The action is being done to something else.)
Incorrect: Last night I laid awake in bed.
Correct: Last night I lay awake in bed. (The action is not being done to anything else.).
The past participle of lie is lain, while the past participle of lay is, like the past tense, laid. Examples:
I could have lain in bed all day.
They have laid an average of 500 feet of pipeline a day.
The present participle of lie is lying, while the present participle of lay is laying.
Examples:
I am lying on the beach today.
They are laying the carpet as I speak.
Confusion between these verbs is widespread, even among those who (arguably) should know better. For example, on the six o'clock news a BBC journalist recently announced that the suspect in a criminal case was believed to be 'laying low' with relatives. And the scriptwriters of popular TV soap operas regularly have their characters saying lay instead of lie, laid instead of lain, presumably because they feel that this is more life-like.
In time, it is quite likely that lay will become accepted as an intransitive verb which is interchangeable with lie, and the past participle lain will become obsolete. You may or may not feel that this will be a loss to the English language. Of course, I couldn't possibly comment.
For now, though, it's still important for writers to get these verbs right. The only exception might be when writing dialogue in a story or screenplay. So many people now say lay instead of lie, laying instead of lying, that I can understand why writers feel obliged to make their characters do likewise. Be aware if you do this, however, that the strange noise you hear in the background when the actors are speaking your words will probably be me grinding my teeth!
I am lying on the beach today.
They are laying the carpet as I speak.
Confusion between these verbs is widespread, even among those who (arguably) should know better. For example, on the six o'clock news a BBC journalist recently announced that the suspect in a criminal case was believed to be 'laying low' with relatives. And the scriptwriters of popular TV soap operas regularly have their characters saying lay instead of lie, laid instead of lain, presumably because they feel that this is more life-like.
In time, it is quite likely that lay will become accepted as an intransitive verb which is interchangeable with lie, and the past participle lain will become obsolete. You may or may not feel that this will be a loss to the English language. Of course, I couldn't possibly comment.
For now, though, it's still important for writers to get these verbs right. The only exception might be when writing dialogue in a story or screenplay. So many people now say lay instead of lie, laying instead of lying, that I can understand why writers feel obliged to make their characters do likewise. Be aware if you do this, however, that the strange noise you hear in the background when the actors are speaking your words will probably be me grinding my teeth!
Nick Daws is a professional freelance writer based in the UK. He has written over 50 books, and innumerable published articles, short stories and so on. He's the author of ‘Write Any Book in Under 28 Days’ and ‘Quick Cash Writing’.
Check out his blog at: http://www.mywritingblog.com