Lay vs. Laid

I've always said 'she lay down'. I've never seen it used the way you use it.

There's always been confusion over lay vs. laid, it's not just you. Each seems able to function as the past tense of the other <dizzy> so it's hard to expain, but Melissa lay down is fine, while Melissa laid down isn't because lay is already past tense.

Or something like that. <falls down>

-Derek

They're past tenses of completely different verbs.

To lie: to rest or recline

To lay: to put or place

To lie is declined {lie, is lying, lay, has lain} like follows:
She lies on the grass.
She is lying on the grass.
She lay on the grass (earlier today).
She has lain on the glass (every day for the last month).

To lay is declined {lay, is laying, laid, has laid} like follows:
She lay the toys on the ground.
She is laying the toys on the ground.
She laid the toys on the ground (earlier today).
She has laid the toys on the ground (every day for the last month).


Since Melissa is resting on the sand, correct is Melissa lay down on the sand, since Melissa was reclining in the past tense.

<dizzy>



-Derek

kuwisdelu said:

They're past tenses of completely different verbs.
To lie: to rest or recline
To lay: to put or place
She lay on the grass (earlier today).
Since Melissa is resting on the sand, correct is Melissa lay down on the sand, since Melissa was reclining in the past tense.

Click to expand...

Well explained. Thanks.

kuwisdelu said:

They're past tenses of completely different verbs.

To lie: to rest or recline

To lay: to put or place

To lie is declined {lie, is lying, lay, has lain} like follows:
She lies on the grass.
She is lying on the grass.
She lay on the grass (earlier today).
She has lain on the glass (every day for the last month).

To lay is declined {lay, is laying, laid, has laid} like follows:
She lay the toys on the ground.
She is laying the toys on the ground.
She laid the toys on the ground (earlier today).
She has laid the toys on the ground (every day for the last month).


Since Melissa is resting on the sand, correct is Melissa lay down on the sand, since Melissa was reclining in the past tense.

Click to expand...

Brilliant. Thank you for the clarification!

Please check the Grammar for Grasshoppers board for a Lay-Lie sticky which I know to be excellent, since I wrote it myself.

I used to get tangled up in this so badly that I wrote the rules up for my own use. After referring to it as I answered lay-lie questions here and at every other writing site I ever visit, I decided to share it. But only here, because AW's the best.

Maryn, eyes modestly downcast

The way I remember it is that only living things can lie.

lie, lay, lain

To lie: (as in to lie down)

I lie down in the grass, (present)

I lay down in the grass, (past)

I had lain down in the grass. (past perfect)

To lay as in, to lay a book down)

I lay the book on the table.(present)

I laid the book on the table (past)

I had laid the book on the table. (past perfect)



Lie means that the subject is doing something to himself or herself.

Lay, on the other hand, means that the subject is acting on something or someone else; therefore, it requires a complement to make sense.


I hope this helps.

"John got laid last night" follows a rule of its own though