People often use lay or laying when they mean lie or lying. For instance, instead of writing, “I went to lie down on the couch,” someone might write, “I went to lay down on the couch.” This confusion probably arises from the fact that the past tense of lie is lay, muddying the distinction between the two words.
If you’re having trouble deciding which verb is the correct one to use in a given sentence, ask yourself if the verb you want to use has a direct object or not. The verb to lie is intransitive—that is, it doesn’t take a direct object—while the verb to lay is transitive, meaning it is always followed by a direct object. In the example above, “I went to lie down on the couch,” lie does not have a direct object; therefore, lie is the correct verb to use in that case. If the sentence read, “I went to lay the book down on the couch,” lay is the correct verb to use, because it has a direct object, “the book.”
The same rule applies to lying and laying. You would write, “I was lying down on the couch,” because the verb was lying does not have a direct object. But you would write, “I was laying the book down on the couch when you walked in” because was laying has a direct object, “the book.” Apply this litmus test to every sentence in which you have to choose between lay and lie, or laying and lying, and you can’t go wrong!
Try applying this litmus test to the examples in our quiz!
7 Comments
Goldie Morgentaler 24 January 2024 AT 10:01 PM
The popular confusion between these two verbs drives me crazy. But I have given up trying to correct people because I hear this mistake all around me and I am very much afraid that the verb "to lie" (as on the couch) is going to disappear. My doctor recently told me to lay on the examining table. When I corrected her, she looked so totally confused that I felt terrible and took an inner oath not to correct anyone ever again. I am having a hard time sticking to this oath.
Erik 10 September 2024 AT 11:09 AM
Your frustration is the same as mine when it cones to the term COMPRISED... which I believe is a much greater more insidious problem because so many writers and today's world don't understand that something is not "comprised of," but something comprises...So, I feel your pain. but, with today's substandard, mediocre education, what can we do?
Leticia 29 September 2024 AT 10:09 PM
I so agree! It drives me bananas hearing everyone using the wrong grammar I'm starting to think I'm the one progress has left behind. I find myself yelling at the TV....CONSIST OF! NOT COMPRISED OF! or WHAT? ARE YOU LAYING AN EGG? or DIFFERENT FROM! NOT THAN... YOU ***! Then I ask the Lord for forgiveness.
Lening 25 January 2024 AT 09:01 AM
The distinction between “to lie” and "to lay" is particularly hard for Chinese-Speaking English learners as Chinese has no morphological changes with verbs in terms of tense (and aspect) , and the writing forms for "to lie 躺" and "to lay 放" are totally different. This tip is very helpful for Chinese-speaking English learners.
Gail Nelson 04 May 2024 AT 01:05 PM
It drives me crazy hearing the misuse of lay all day long! Even one of my daughters, who was an English major in college says “I’m going to lay down!” Her sister tells her dog to “Lay down” all of the time! It’s like hearing “I seen,” or “ain’t! “
Chris Carr 24 June 2024 AT 08:06 PM
Glad to know that at least a few other people have this pet peeve. I was beginning to think I was the only one. Even people who tend to correct other people's grammar seem to make this particular grammatical error a lot. And ironically, some people have begun using 'lie' when they SHOULD use 'lay'!
Sara 04 October 2024 AT 03:10 PM
The same rule applies to lying and laying. You would write, “I was lying down on the couch,” because the verb was lying does not have a direct object. But you would write, “I was laying the book down on the couch when you walked in” because was laying has a direct object, “the book.”
Hi- the above confuses me. Either you contradicted yourself or left out a not, or some other option I don’t see. Please clarify. -Unapologetic actual nerd, kinda-
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