"LAY" VS. "LIE" – LET'S PUT THIS ISSUE TO BED!
GRAMMERGENCY #1:
BY ANNIE TUCKER
As a book editor, I frequently come across misuse of the verbs “lay” and “lie” in the manuscripts I work on. But authors aren’t the only ones who are fuzzy on this subject; in fact, just about everyone seems to wrestle with it sometimes. Because part of my job is to help people understand how to write and speak properly, every time a yoga teacher instructs me to “lay back” on my mat, or a friend tells me, “I need some sun; I’m going to lay out,” or I hear a pet owner telling his dog to “lay down,” my first thought is, I really need to write a blog post about this.
Quick Fix
In all of the examples above, the correct verb is “lie”—not occasionally, not depending on whom you’re talking to, but always. Why? Because “lay” is a transitive verb, meaning it must take a direct object, whereas “lie” is intransitive, meaning it doesn’t need an object. An easy way to tell whether you’re using “lay” correctly is to ask yourself, Is there a noun after “lay” in the sentence I’m about to utter? If the answer is no, and you’re speaking in the present tense, then it’s time to rethink your statement.
In each of the examples above, you have two options: 1) simply substitute “lie” for “lay,” or 2) add a noun or noun phrase to justify the presence of “lay.” In the first and second instances, the former approach makes more sense, since it would be pretty silly for that yoga teacher to say, “Lay your back gently on your mat,” or for that vitamin D–deprived friend to announce, “I’m going to lay my pale skin on the sand and catch some rays.” In the third sentence, you could go either way; in fact, maybe hearing, “Lay your butt down, Rex!” is just what your canine companion needs to know you mean business.
The New Normal
Once you become used to saying something the wrong way for years, the correct version may sound awkward, especially when you hear most people around you making the same mistake. But that’s why it’s so important not to assume that the majority always rules, because every time you say, “I need to lay down,” you’re just giving the general public permission to remain ignorant.
Fake It Till You Make It
I’ll save trickier conjugations—like “I have lain” and past-tense “lay”—for another post. For now, my advice to you, if you want to be a friend to editors everywhere—and help save the world from grammatical errors, one verb at a time—is to practice, practice, practice. First, memorize the guidelines I’ve described above, and then use these tricky verbs correctly when you speak, until they stop sounding weird to you and become second nature. Pretty soon, you’ll be able to lay down the laws of grammar on your own—and that’s no lie.
BY ANNIE TUCKER
As a book editor, I frequently come across misuse of the verbs “lay” and “lie” in the manuscripts I work on. But authors aren’t the only ones who are fuzzy on this subject; in fact, just about everyone seems to wrestle with it sometimes. Because part of my job is to help people understand how to write and speak properly, every time a yoga teacher instructs me to “lay back” on my mat, or a friend tells me, “I need some sun; I’m going to lay out,” or I hear a pet owner telling his dog to “lay down,” my first thought is, I really need to write a blog post about this.
Quick Fix
In all of the examples above, the correct verb is “lie”—not occasionally, not depending on whom you’re talking to, but always. Why? Because “lay” is a transitive verb, meaning it must take a direct object, whereas “lie” is intransitive, meaning it doesn’t need an object. An easy way to tell whether you’re using “lay” correctly is to ask yourself, Is there a noun after “lay” in the sentence I’m about to utter? If the answer is no, and you’re speaking in the present tense, then it’s time to rethink your statement.
In each of the examples above, you have two options: 1) simply substitute “lie” for “lay,” or 2) add a noun or noun phrase to justify the presence of “lay.” In the first and second instances, the former approach makes more sense, since it would be pretty silly for that yoga teacher to say, “Lay your back gently on your mat,” or for that vitamin D–deprived friend to announce, “I’m going to lay my pale skin on the sand and catch some rays.” In the third sentence, you could go either way; in fact, maybe hearing, “Lay your butt down, Rex!” is just what your canine companion needs to know you mean business.
The New Normal
Once you become used to saying something the wrong way for years, the correct version may sound awkward, especially when you hear most people around you making the same mistake. But that’s why it’s so important not to assume that the majority always rules, because every time you say, “I need to lay down,” you’re just giving the general public permission to remain ignorant.
Fake It Till You Make It
I’ll save trickier conjugations—like “I have lain” and past-tense “lay”—for another post. For now, my advice to you, if you want to be a friend to editors everywhere—and help save the world from grammatical errors, one verb at a time—is to practice, practice, practice. First, memorize the guidelines I’ve described above, and then use these tricky verbs correctly when you speak, until they stop sounding weird to you and become second nature. Pretty soon, you’ll be able to lay down the laws of grammar on your own—and that’s no lie.
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