lie vs. lay

I'm going to try something a little different with this post. Most of my blog entries have something to do with personal life stories, or philosophical musings, or rants. Or writing. Being a writer definitely plays a role in many of my posts. And while many of them touch on the craft of writing, none of them deals with nuts-and-bolts grammar. Now that has changed. I present to you the first class in the Sean Eret Grammar School. I promise to make it as painless as possible.

The first lesson deals with the difference between the verbs "lie" and "lay." Before I go further, if you know their is a difference between the two, and know what that difference is, and still get the two mixed up (as I do), I've included a handy chart for reference at the bottom of the post. For those who didn't know there was a difference and/or want help with what that difference is, or have a fetish for grammar lessons, then continue reading.

First off, when I talk about "lie," I'm not talking about the definition: to tell a falsehood. No one ever says, "The politician lays about his record." Just doesn't happen. (If it does, maybe you should brush up on your basic English).

Present Tense
So yeah, the real definition of "lie" that's confusing means "to recline." And in the present tense, it's not that hard: "The politician lies on the bed." It is NOT: "The politician lays on the bed." One way you can tell the difference is to know that "lie" is an intransitive verb whereas "lay" is a transitive verb. Basically what that means is that a transitive verb takes a direct object and an intransitive verb does not.

So if you absolutely insist the politician do some laying, then the proper sentence would be: "The politician lays himself on the bed." Or, more interestingly: "The politician lays his campaign organizer on the bed." In the first, "himself" is the direct object. In the second, "his campaign organizer" is the direct object. The first is archaic; no one talks like that anymore. The second, well, just tune to the nightly news for examples.

Another way you can tell the difference between "lie" and "lay" is by replacing the verbs with synonyms. As I mentioned above, "lie" means "to recline." And "lay" means "to place." So, in the original example, "The politician reclines on the bed," makes sense; "The politician places on the bed," does not. Now do the same substitutions with the other examples on your own. I expect you to turn it in to me on the following day after you read this post.

Present Participle
I soppose since I including them in the cart below, I should say something about present participles. Basically, they are verbs with "ing" tacked on. (There are also gerunds, which are the love children between verbs and nouns, but that's for another lesson.) "Lie" is a bit odd, I guess maybe because "lieing" looks like a menage a trois of vowels. So instead it's "lying." I suppose you want examples. Fine. "Lying on the bed, the politician kicked off his wingtips." "Laying his campaign organizer on the bed, the politician unbuttoned her blouse." I know where your mind's going; remember, they're just examples, just words on the screen, their verb forms the only thing that matters.

Past Tense
Now for the fun part, the part that causes the confusion in the first place. Why? Because the past tense of "lie" is "lay." Can I get a big "WTF?!" from my readers? It still confuses me, and I suspect may always confuse me. So the other verb--the one whose present tense is "lay"--that verb's past tense is "laid." A little less troubling. So, examples (with names this time): "Jack Bonner lay on the bed." And: "Jack Bonner laid his campaign organizer Anna Colt on the bed." Remember the two ways you can tell the verbs' difference:

1) "Lie/Lay" is intransitive (doesn't take a direct object).
"Lay/Laid" is transitive (does take a direct object).

2) "Lie/Lay" means "to recline."
"Lay/Laid" means "to place."

Past Participle
The past participle isn't used much in English (mostly the present participle is used), but for completeness, here it is. The past participle of "lie/lay" is "laid" and the past participle for "lay/laid" is "laid." Examples: "Having lain on the bed, Jack Bonner kicks off his wingtips." "Having laid his campaign organizer Anna Colt on the bed, Jack Bonner unbuttoned her blouse."


So, confused? Probably. I am. Now that I unpacked the chart above, I leave you with it below. By all means, use it, copy it, distribute it throughout the interwebs. Or not. But whatever the case, good luck! With "lie" and "lay," you're going to need it!