Grammar Series, No. 7: Lie or Lay?

by Jody Calkins on July 2, 2010

Is it "lie" or "lay"?

  • "Lie" as a verb means "to recline", as in "Our hens take dirt baths and lie in the sun every afternoon."
 
  • "Lay" as a present tense verb means "to put or place something" and is also the past tense verb for "lie", as in "Hens lay eggs about every 25 hours" and "The hens lay (or reclined) in the sun."

Related posts:

  1. Grammar Series, No. 7: Lie/Lay Part 2
  2. Grammar Series, No. 6: Hope or Hopefully?
  3. Grammar Series, No. 9: Wonder or Wander?
  4. Grammar Series, No. 4: Is it “Lose” or “Loose”?
  5. Grammar Series, No. 1: Is it “A lot”, “Alot”, or “Allot”?

Tagged as: business writing, Grammar, is it lie or lay?, Lie vs. Lay

  • http://jeffreyholton.blogspot.com Jeffrey Holton

    I appreciate this clarification very much.

    Can it be expanded to include guidance on the past tense "lied" and "layed," also?

  • http://www.emeryroad.com Jody Calkins

    Hi Jeffrey,

    Thank you for your feedback. I’m glad my post was helpful to you. A post on the past tense of lie/lay is a great idea! Check back this Friday for more lie/lay grammar info!

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