Lie vs. Lay

Lie and lay have different meanings and different forms of conjugation.

Lie is an intransitive verb; it does not take a direct object.

Lie                   Mike lies down to a nap every afternoon at 4:00.

Lay                  Yesterday, Mike lay in bed all day.

Lain                 Mike has lain on our uncomfortable couch for seven nights.

Lying               Mike is lying over there.

Lay is transitive; it takes a direct object.

Lay                  The workers are ready to lay the cement.

Laid                 Mike laid the roses at the girl’s feet.

Laid                 Mike has laid the report on my desk.

Laying             Laying his keys down, Mike looked sheepish.

1.      If you (lie, lay) down your rifle, we can begin to talk.

2.      If you (lie, lay) on this featherbed, you will fall asleep in a few minutes.

3.      He was so exhausted that he (lay, laid) down for a long nap.

4.      If you want to (lie, lay) on the carpet, you will need to vacuum.

5.      Mike, depressed and lonely, has (laid, lain) in his bed for the past three days.

6.      The black, plastic crow has (laid, lain) in the park since the first snow.

7.      They (lay, laid) in bed until noon yesterday.

Hacker, Diana. The Bedford Handbook for Writers. 5^th ed. Boston, MA: St. Martin’s Press, 1994. 364-65, 782.