Grammar Mishaps: lie vs. lay, lain, laid,

Using the correct forms of the verbs "to lay" and “to lie” is very confusing. They are so often misused, even in published works, it’s always best to refresh yourself with the subtleties of these two intertwined verbs.

These are two overlapping verbs we are dealing with: two verbs that have been used intransitively at least as far back as the 14^th century.

The verb “to lie” (not the definition involving deception) is a verb that acts upon the subject (as in ‘I lie in wait for you’). Its other forms are: lay, lain, and lying.

The verb “to lay” acts upon an object (as in ‘I lay the books down on the table.” Its other forms include laid and laying.

The really confusing part is, they overlap in two different ways. Firstly, the verb ‘to lay’ can be used on the actor of the sentence, much as wash usually acts upon an object, you can alsowash yourself. Secondly, the past tense of the verb to lie is lay, an oddity that really confuses you.

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But you didn’t really need to know that, did you? You simply want to know which word fits into your sentence correctly. I understand.

Shut up and tell me which one to use!

Here are some easy examples that are sure to help you. I won’t bother with labels such as ‘past imperfect’; the context of the sentences make their tense obvious. Under ‘to lay’ I threw in the confusing examples where the subject is also the object (myself).

To lie:

I want to lie down now. I lie in wait for you [now].

I'm lying in a soft bed of moss as I type this.

I will lie down later.

I lay down before, but it wasn’t for long enough to say I napped.

I have lain down before; in fact I have done so every night of my life.

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To lay:

See me lay my gun on the table now? I lay myself on the bed now.

I'm laying the gun down as I speak, so don't shoot.

I will lay my gun on the table if you don’t shoot me.

I laid my gun on the table an hour ago, so calm down, please. I laid myself on the bed last night.

I have laid the gun on the table an hour ago, just as I have promised. I have laid myself down on the bed in the past.

Note: The usage of 'lay' with sexual connotations describes a person laying another person down onto a bed. To 'get laid' isn't literally a course phrase; it literally means getting someone to lay you down onto a bed.