Grammar Series, No. 7: Lie/Lay Part 2

Past Tense for Lie and Lay: Is it "lay" or "laid"?

• "Lay" is the past tense for "lie" and means "reclined", as in "Our chickens lay in the dirt all afternoon."

• "Laid" is the past tense of "lay" and means "put something down", as in "We laid to rest the day-old chicks that died during transit."

Tense Sequence:

• Lie (= recline), lying (= reclining), lay (= reclined), (have) lain (= have reclined)

• Lay (= place [something]), laying (= placing [something]), laid (= placed [something]), (have) laid (= have placed [something])

Related posts:

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

Tagged as: Common Grammar Mistake, Grammar, Lie vs. Lay, past tense of lie/lay