![]() ![]() 5 → lay the foundations/groundwork/base 6 give information formal ACCUSE to make a statement, give information etc in an official or public way SYN put Several proposals have been laid before the committee. ![]() As she spoke, she was laying him a place at the table. 4 table British English DF to put the cloth, plates, knives, forks etc on a table, ready for a meal SYN set John was laying the table. A cuckoo is able to lay in a range of different nests. ![]() ► see thesaurus at put 2 → lay bricks/carpet/concrete/cables etc 3 bird/insect etc HBB if a bird, insect etc lays eggs, it produces them from its body The flies lay their eggs on decaying meat. They laid a wreath at the place where so many people died. ![]() S1 W2 verb ( past tense and past participle laid / leɪd / ) 1 put somebody/something down PUT to put someone or something down carefully into a flat position SYN place He laid his hand on my shoulder.It was as if a fall lay within her that she wasn't able to make.Turtles lay their eggs on the beach at night.He laid the money on the table as they walked out to the stoop.There had been long weeks when he lay sunk in gloom and introspection.Before you start packing, lay out all the clothes on the bed.Hey, I told him to lay off of me in practice.She unfolded the map and laid it on the table.Moyers laid his case before the public.He was laid down on brittle pampas grass and then manhandled by the creatures.She lay against the pillows, her whole body numb.It does little more than lay a foundation of principles.She laid $10 on the favorite, Golden Boy.The key thing is to remember that “lie” does not take an object, whereas “lay” always does.From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English lay lay 1 / leɪ / verb the past tense of lie 1 → See Verb table Examples from the Corpus lay He couldn’t let her know the truth, so he lied and blamed the zookeeper.Īs you can see above, the past tense of “lie” is “lied.” As well as a verb, “lie” can be used as a noun meaning “an untruth.” Lie or Lay? It’s worth noting that “lie” has another common definition, meaning “to say something untrue”: The examples above also demonstrate how “lay” always takes an object (i.e., the subject is always putting something else down). The next day, Joan laid out a map and planned her next campaign. The simple past tense and past participle of “lay” are both “laid”: Joan lay down her sword she could take on this chump barehanded. Lay (Put Down)Īs a present tense verb in its own right, “lay” means “to put something down or place it horizontally”: The couch was so soft, I could have lain there forever. Meanwhile, the past participle (used in the present and past perfect tenses) of “lie” is “lain”: I felt refreshed immediately after I lay down. This particular use of “lie” is an irregular verb, moreover, so the simple past tense is “lay”: This is why we had a fainting couch installed.Īn important factor is that “lie” is an intransitive verb, so never takes an object. Trying to understand this word is tiring, so I will lie down on the couch. The sense of “lie” that causes most confusion is its use as a verb meaning “to recline or be in a horizontal position”: Nevertheless, by the end of this blog post, using our proofreading experience, we fully intend to have explained the difference between “lay” and “lie” in clear and simple terms. Are there any two words more commonly confused than “lay” and “lie”? It’s hard to think of many others where mistakes are so easy to understand, since “lay” and “lie” are distinct terms with different meanings, yet the simple past tense of “lie” is also “lay.” Confused yet? We don’t blame you. ![]()
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