There is often confusion over the verbs
'to lay' and 'to lie'.
Lay and Laid
'To lay' means to put place something in a position,
especially a horizontal position.
Examples:
 The maids
lay the table for dinner at 7 o'clock. 
Sudan urges
rebels to lay down arms.
Put your
hands up, and lie down your weapons. 
(should be 'lay down')
In April,
our white spotted bamboo shark began to lay eggs.
The past tense is 'laid':
Examples:
Annabelle laid the puppy in the basket.
They laid
the body on the bank and notified the coroner.
The past participle is also 'laid':
Examples:
According to
the pamphlet, we should have laid old sheets on the floor to prevent paint
splashes landing on the decking.
A teenager killed by a shark in northern
New South Wales has been laid to rest.
Lie, Lied, Lay and Lain
The verb 'to lie' has two unrelated meanings:
To say something which is
untrue in order to deceive.
Did
you lie about your age to join the Army?
Your eyes betray you when you lie.
My
reflexologist says I am lying about my health. He says that my feet,
however, do not lie.
(present participle =
lying)
The past tense is 'lied':
Malcolm lied his way past the doormen.
Billy
lied so often about his boxing achievements, he forgot the truth.
The past participle is also
'lied':
Malcolm had lied his way past the doormen.
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To be in, or move into,
a horizontal position.
I
think I'll lie down for 20 minutes after lunch.
Lie on your back and look at the stars.
Clutching his betting slip, Mr Reynolds screamed, "Get up! Don't just
lie there." However, Paul was just lying on his back with one
eye on the referee while the count went ahead.
(present participle =
lying)
My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income.
(As in this example, 'to lie' can simply mean 'to be'.)
The past tense is 'lay':
An
alibi? I just lay on the sofa all night, watching The Simpsons.
The
snow lay on the field all week.
The past participle is 'lain':
Mark had lain at the foot of the knoll for
hours.
How often have I lain beneath rain on a strange roof, thinking
of home. |
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TABLE SHOWING THE FORMS
Tabulated below are the various forms of lay, lie and lie:
| Present |
Past |
Participles |
| To lay (to place in a
horizontal position) |
I
lay...
He lays... |
He
laid... |
is
laying
(present)
was laid (past) |
| To lie (to tell an
untruth) |
I
lie.
He lies. |
He
lied... |
is
lying
(present)
has lied (past) |
| To lie (to be in a
horizontal position) |
I
lie.
He lies. |
He
lay... |
is
lying
(present)
has lain (past) |
|
 |
 |
MAIN CULPRIT
The most common mistake is to use 'lie' instead of 'lay'. If you
remember that lie cannot take a direct
object, then you will eliminate this error.
To lay your
head on the pillow.
To lie your
head on the pillow.
(In these examples, 'your head' is the direct object. Remember, lie cannot
have a direct object.)
My chicken
lays eggs.
My chicken
lies eggs.
(In these examples, 'eggs' is the direct object. Remember, lie cannot have
a direct object.)
THE OTHER CULPRITS
Lay (past tense of 'to lie') is not common. To many people, 'laid'
sounds okay:
The
crocodile laid still for hours.
(should be 'lay')
'Lain' is not a common word. To many people, 'laid' sounds correct.
The
snow had laid on the field all
week.
(should be 'lain')
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