Some of you are getting your beds and chickens in a muddle…
LIE – to recline
Present: lie
Present participle: lying
Past: lay
Past participle: lain
LAY – to place something down
Present: lay
Present participle: laying
Past: laid
Past participle: laid
Here’s the difference;
Lie is something you do to yourself. There is no object involved.
Lay is something you do to something or someone else. An object is involved.
LIE – to recline
Present: I lie on the bed.
Present participle: I am lying here.
Past: Yesterday, I lay on the bed.
Past participle: I had lain on the bed all morning.
LAY – to place something down (note the baby is the object)
Present: I lay the baby on the bed.
Present participle: I am laying the baby on the floor.
Past: Yesterday, I laid the baby down.
Past participle: I had laid the baby down.
I laid on the bed. << WRONG
Yesterday, I lay the baby down. << WRONG
I am laying here << WRONG (unless you are a chicken!)
The Difference Between Lay and Lie
/by Dean KershawSome of you are getting your beds and chickens in a muddle…
Dean Kershaw
/by Black Hare PressDean is co-founder and editor of Black Hare Press. Having found that his BSc in Bioengineering and BA in Digital Media were as useful in real life as calculus and geometric proofs