Lie Vs Lay
Going to put this confusing mess to bed
I really like the chart that Writer's Digest has regarding this:
Examples:
LIE: (verb) to rest, or recline
Present: I lie there, still, waiting for her return.Past: I lay there, still, waiting for her return.
Past participle: He had lain there, still, waiting for her return.
Present participle: I was lying there, still, waiting for her return.
LAY: to put, or to place
Present: I lay her delicate body on the couch eager to partake in her beauty.Past: I laid her delicate body on the couch eager to partake in her beauty.
Past Participle: same as past
Present Participle: Laying her delicate body on the couch I was eager to partake in her beauty.
IMPORTANT REMINDER:
Most common mistakes
"Although lay also serves as the past tense of lie (to recline) – as in, "He lay down for a nap an hour ago" – lay (or laying)
may not otherwise be used to denote reclining. It is not correct to
say or write, "I will lay down for nap" or "He is laying down for a
nap." The misuse of lay or laying in the sense of "to recline" (which requires lie or lying) is the most common error involving the confusion of these two words." - Grammarmudge.cityslide.com
Okay, so basically:
"Lay is when subject places or puts an object/person. Lie (verb) is when subject is doing the reclining, or resting. EXCEPT, when Lie is past tense then it would be Lay when reclining/resting. HOWEVER, laying/laid can not be inter-changeable with the verb to rest or recline."
No easy way to get it right without just memorizing it. ENJOY!
~Until Next Time
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