Walkup's Way Home  Lie Lay

hello_wht.gif (8764 bytes)Hello, do you have the dreaded  butterflies in your  stomach because you're about to revisit  the dreaded lie/lay mystery of your childhood years.  How many years will it take until we get it straight?

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Take the Walkup 2-Step Plan &  master the lie lay problem in four  minutes.

 

Step 1:  Memorize the following two sentences  so that you can understand the difference in meaning between  to lie & to lay

I like to lie down.  (   To Lie means rest)       

Anna, Lay the apple down .  ( To  Lay means place)apple5.gif (3864 bytes)

 

 

 

Step 2: Now that you know what to lie & to lay mean, take three minutes out of your life to memorize the following two-line chart, so that you can properly use the words in the past and present tenses.   Believe me, it's worth your time.  clock_sm_clr.gif (7976 bytes)Note:  Some people find  lay confusing because it has two different meaning:   Lay is both the simple form of  to lay and the past-tense form   to lie.

 

Base form Past

Past
Participle

 Sample
Sentences

 

To lie
(to rest)

  

lay

 (have has
or had) 

lain

 I want to lie down & rest.
Yesterday I lay down.
Last week I had lain on the recliner.
 

To lay

(to put
in place)

  

laid

 (have, has or had) laid Today I lay the apple here.

Yesterday I laid the apple here.

Last week I had laid the apple here.

Good Job - End of Lesson

If you happen to be a grammar lover and want to see more lie/lay sentences, I've included some below for your reading pleasure!

 

Notice:  In each of the  7 following  laid sentences, placed can be substituted for laid.

John had laid his keys on the table.  (laid what?  keys)         (placed)
They laid the blankets on the grass. (laid what?  blankets)   (placed)
The dirty  cups were laid by the dishwasher.                          (placed)
The books were laid on the desk.                                               (placed)
I had laid the  keys there.                                                             (placed)
Louise laid her  jewelry  on the table.                                       (placed)
Remember: laid does not mean  lie  or rested, but placed.    (placed)

 

Should I lie down and rest for a while before studying English?
I told Jane to lie down.
The doctor asked the boy to lie on his side.
Lie down and rest.

She lay awake until two.
I lay awake all night with a toothache.
The tired joggers lay down to rest.
The teenager lay in bed all morning.
Yesterday I lay in bed all day.    
John lay back in his recliner and fell asleep.

 

 

 

Lay the apple on the counter.           (meaning put down or place)
Lay the backpack on the floor.


Lie down.
Don't lie in the sun by the ocean.
Your check is lying on the table.
The  tired joggers are lying down to rest.
The mat lies on the tiled entrance.

 


He has lain in the recliner all day.
My apple has lain on my nightstand  ever since is  laid it there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To lay means "to put (down) or to place something," or "to place something down."
Lay is transitive; it takes a direct object
      I lay the apple on the counter
     Yesterday, I laid the apple   on the counter.
To lie means "to be in place" or "to rest in a flat position or  "to recline,"  or "to be positioned."
Lie is intransitive; it can't be followed by a direct object. an object.
(He lies on the rug, unable to move)

 

Base or Simple Form Past Tense Past Participle Present
Participle		 S Form
(to) lie
(recline)
(rest flat)		 lay lain lying lies
(to) lay
(put)		 laid laid laying lays