Your Quick Guide to Lay vs. Lie

Your Quick Guide to Lay vs. Lie As some of the most commonly confused words in the English language, lay vs. lie (and determining which to use) present problems for English writers and speakersâ€"even native ones. However, knowing whether to use lay or lie in a particular context requires knowing specific rules related to conjugating the verbs in present, past and past participle tenses. Well review these rules here.Lay vs. lie in present tenseThe present tense rule related to lay vs. lie is the easiest to remember. Keep in mind that in this article, we are referring to lie in its meaning to recline rather than untruth.Lay requires an object while lie does not. For example, you can lay a blanket over someone, because the object (blanket) is receiving the action of the verb. However, when you lie down, there is no object, so lie is the correct choice.Remember that Bob Dylan song, Lay Lady Lay? Well, Dylanâ€"although a great songwriterâ€"used the verb incorrectly in his song. And then people wonder why English langua ge rules are so difficult to remember!The correct way, then, to sing that song would be lie Lady lie, lie across my big brass bed. However, well trust that Dylan had his reasons for conjugating the verb incorrectly in his hit track.Lay vs. lie in past tenseHere is where the grammar rules get really tricky with this particular pair of wordsâ€"in the past tense. Why? Because the past tense of lie is lay. What this means is that if you are supposed to use lie in the present tenseâ€"for example, I need to go lie downâ€"youll have to change that to lay if speaking past tense.Consider this example: Yesterday, the cat lay in the window sill all day long.Sounds incorrect, doesnt it?Thats because most people get it wrong. If youre like most, your first inclination would be to use laid as the past tense verb form here, but that would be incorrect. Laid is the past tense of lay, so you would only use that if lay is the correct verb form to use in present tense.Heres an example: I laid the pape r down on the table, but someone lost it.Lay vs. lie in past participle tenseNow, lets look at the past participle of both verb forms, starting with lie. The past participle of lie?is lain.Consider this example: I have lain in bed all day and havent accomplished anything.So, if lay is the correct form of the verb in present tense (meaning there is an object that is placed down), the past participle tense is laid (which is the same as the past tense, so at least something about this is easy!)Heres an example: She has laid her purse somewhere and forgotten where.