LAY is an action, a thing you do to something else. It means ‘put’ or ‘place.’ That makes it a transitive verb--a verb that has to have a direct object. You lay your coat on the bed, lay yourself down to sleep, or lay the blame somewhere--the coat, self, and blame are the direct objects. You can’t lay on the couch. LAY is also slang for having sex--and still requires a direct object.
Simple present tense: lay(s). The boy lays his book on the bed. We lay our guests' coats on the bed. They lay asphalt in twelve-foot sections.
Present participle: laying. Shelly is laying out napkins. I’m laying bricks this summer. You’re laying bratwurst on sourdough?
Simple past tense: laid. The sheriff laid the print-out on the dashboard. I laid down the flyswatter. Jared laid plenty of girls--in his imagination.
Past participle: laid. Marie had laid her fork on the plate. Workers had laid the bodies in rows. I’d laid out fresh towels in anticipation of their visit.
LIE is a situation, a way a thing can exist. It means ‘rest on a surface’ or ‘be situated.’ That makes it an intransitive verb--a verb that can’t have a direct object. You lie on the couch, or the goal lies within reach. The past tense of lie is lay, which is undoubtedly where the confusion comes from.
Simple present: lie(s). Antoine lies in wait. I lie on the sofa. You lie there like a dead fish.
Present participle: lying. The baby is lying in her crib. We’re lying on the sand. I’m lying here exhausted.
Simple past: lay. The seeds lay dormant all winter. We lay in bed that night. No, you lay in the hammock, remember?
Past participle: lain. The key had lain there unseen. He’d lain shivering through the night. Cows have always lain in meadows.
LIE is to state an untruth, to deceive. It is an intransitive verb--no direct object--but may have an indirect object, the person who is being lied to, or the person or thing being lied for.
Simple present: lie(s). Sam lies to his kids about the Tooth Fairy. I lie to mine, too. You lie to yours?
Present participle: lying. You’re lying about where you were. I’m lying, too, pretending to believe you. He’s lying for the sake of the kids.
Simple past: lied. He lied to her every day. I lied about my age. Sgt. Gundersen lied her way into the compound.
Part participle: lied. She had lied whenever anybody asked if her hair color was real. I’d lied on my application. You'd lied for the sake of honor.
Mnemonics:
Lay, lay, put away
Lie, lie, face the sky
Dead things lay, live things lie.
Maryn, whose request line is open, so keep those calls coming!
) The word "only" should almost always be placed next to the word or words it refers to.
