Lay and Lie

"Lay" and "lie" are two words that I used to think were interchangeable. When I learned they were not, I found it very confusing trying to determine when they should be used in sentences. In all honestly I still find it a little confusing, but I feel more confident now that I have looked up some more information.





The above comic illustrates a common misuse of "lay". I do this all the time! Perhaps this is why I can't get my dog to listen to my "Lay down!" command. I found a handy tip to help me remember which one to use in the present tense.

*You lay something down, and people lie themselves down.* 

• The verb that means “to recline” is to lie, not to lay. Thus, if we are talking about the act of reclining, we must use to lie, not to lay: “When I get a headache, I need to lie down and close my eyes.”

• The verb laid will always have a direct object: for us to use the word laid correctly in a sentence, something or someone in the sentence must be getting “put” or “placed”: “I laid my car keys on the counter when I came home.”(getitwriteonline.com) 

"Lay" requires a direct object, and "lie" does not. This is why I lie down on the couch (there is no direct object), but I lay the book down on the table (the book is the direct object). This is in the present tense, of course. Looking at these words in the past tense gets more confusing. Even The Grammar Girl herself admitted that she often has to look it up to make sure she is using the correct word.

I found a chart which lists the present, past, past participle and present participle terms for "to lay" or "to lie".



When I saw this chart, I immediately noticed a word I have never used before. "Lain". "Lain" is the past participle of "to lie". I found an example of a sentence using the word "lain":

“We have lain on every mattress in the store, and now we must decide which one to purchase.”

When I read that sentence, I thought to myself, "I would have used the word 'laid' without a second thought". It turns out I am not alone, because the next sentence explained how many people have not even heard of the word "lain". I don't feel so alone now!

I think I have the present tense down for deciding whether to use "lay" or "lie" in a sentence. While the past tense is a little trickier, I think I found some tips that will help me.  



References
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/lay-versus-lie
http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/lay-vs-lie
http://www.getitwriteonline.com/archive/051402lielay.htm