![]() ![]() “Lay” versus “lie” is just one of the many confusing word choices that Mignon Fogarty covers in the “Dirty Words” chapter of her book, “ Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.” You can download the chapter by clicking opens in a new windowon this link opens PDF file. Download the Chapter on ‘Dirty Words’ From Grammar Girl’s Book It’s just important to know what you know, and what you don’t know, and to go to the trouble to look it up and get it right because these are hard-and-fast rules. Practice will help, and truthfully, I still have to look them up every time I use them. Mary has forcefully laid her ring on the table.ĭon’t opens in a new windowfeel bad if you can’t remember these right away. The past participle of “ lay” is also “ laid.” The past participle of “ lie” is “ lain.” Mary forcefully laid her ring on the table. Last week, I laid the TPS report on your desk. The cat lay in the mud after it rained yesterday. Instead, I’ve made a table that you can print out from the website and tape up over your desk or in your notebook, because you just have to memorize this or look it up every time. ‘Lay’ Versus ‘Lie’ in the Past Tenseīut then everything goes all haywire, because “ lay” is the past tense of “ lie.” It’s a nightmare! I tried and tried to come up with a mnemonic for this, but I couldn’t do it. Let’s move on to the past tense-it’s harder. It’s pretty easy you lay something down, people lie down by themselves, and Eric Clapton can help us remember. The lyrics should be “Lie lady lie, lie across my big brass bed.” ![]() ![]() If you’re more of a Bob Dylan fan, you can remember that “Lay Lady Lay “ is also wrong. We don’t have to judge Clapton on his grammar we can still love his music and at the same time know that it’s grammatically incorrect! In fact, that helps us remember, and we can love him more. You lay something down, and people lie down by themselves. If he wanted Sally to rest in his arms on her own, the correct line would be “lie down Sally.” To say “lay down Sally” would imply that someone should grab Sally and lay her down. Opens in a new windowTake the ‘Lay’ versus ‘Lie’ Quiz (in a new tab). ⇒ What’s that I hear, music in the background? I know I don’t normally play music, but I love Eric Clapton, and his song “ Lay Down Sally” can actually help you remember the difference between “ lay” and “ lie” because he’s wrong. It’s a catchy, dorky, 1970s kind of phrase, so I can remember it and remember that it is correct. The way I remember is to think of the phrase “ lay it on me.” You’re laying something (it, the direct object) on me. ![]()
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