Troublesome Verbs Lie / Lay --- Rise / Raise --- Sit / Set First, understand these principles: The first verb in each of the above pairs is intransitive. These words-- lie, rise, sit—and their principal parts do not transfer the action to a direct object. The second verb in each pair is transitive. Lay, raise, set—and their principal parts--are transitive verbs and are usually followed by direct objects. Hmmm, weird.

Explanations and Examples– Lie and Lay Lie has the meaning of “resting,” “reclining,” or “being in a place.” For example, Frost lies on the trees. Its principal parts have that same meaning: lie --- lying --- lay (past tense) --- (have) lain (past participle) I will lie on the grass. I am lying on the grass. Yesterday I lay on the grass. I have often lain on the grass. My papers are lying on the desk. Sorrow lies heavily on my heart. The cities lay in ruins after the earthquake. They have lain there for centuries. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lay means “to put down” or “to set in place” and usually transfers action to an object. (Lay the books on my desk. …laying the foundation.) lay ---- laying --- laid (past tense) --- (have) laid (past participle) Did Joe lay the carpet last week? No, he will be laying it tomorrow. I laid your hammer on the workbench. Has John laid the flooring yet? Don’t lay the blame on me. Lay your papers on my desk. I have laid all my cards on the table. When I laid my eyes on her, it was love at first sight.

Practice with Lie and Lay lie --- lying --- lay --- ( ) lain lay --- laying --- laid --- ( ) laid Use correctly the principal parts of lie and lay.After deciding your answer, click the mouse to check. 1. New ideas have always ________the groundwork for great changes. I need to ______down for a while with this headache. Whose things are _______ on the deck? Please ______ the wet papers on the table to dry. She had just _______ the baby in the crib. (Tricky one. Notice the direct object.) This rusty tool has _______ here for a while. I can sleep only when I am _______ down. We ______the rope in a neat coil after we had used it. When we got home from hunting, our dog _____ down to rest beside us. After the court session, we ______ the matter to rest. laid lie lying lay laid lain lying laid (Past tense of lie.) lay laid

Explanations and Examples– Rise and Raise Rise means “to get up” or “to come up.” Rise and its principal parts are intransitive and never have direct objects. Steam rises. People rise from their chairs. Anger can rise too. rise --- rising --- rose --- (have) risen Our team rose to the occasion. He has risen to great heights. In order to see the meteor shower, we will rise at 3:00 A.M. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Raise means “to lift” something up or “to move” something higher. Raise and its principal parts are transitive and usually have a direct object. raise --- raising --- raised --- (have) raised Please raise your hand. You have raised an excellent question. When we lived in Wyoming, we raised sheep on our ranch. Now we raise cattle. She has been raising our hopes all year. Our teacher has raised his expectations for us.

Practice with Rise and Raise If the meaning of the verb is “to lift” or “to bring up,” and it has an object, select a form of raise; otherwise, use a form of rise. rise --- rising --- rose --- (have) risen raise --- raising --- raised --- (have) raised raised The students ___________about $4,000 during the two-week period. Your coach has ________ the high jump bar to 5’6”. We all ________before dawn when we went hunting. Before the last rain, the river had __________several inches. His temperature is __________. We ___________the flag at 6:00 o’clock this morning. Steamboats _________the curtain on a new chapter in America’s history. __________ the sails to catch the wind. Can you see the fog ________________ as the sun begins to warm our valley? He has ____________early every morning during his long lifetime. raised rose risen rising raised raised Raise rise (or rising) risen

Explanations and Examples– Sit and Set Sit means “to take a seat” or “to be in a place,” as in, “Why is the dog just sitting there?” It is intransitive and has no direct object. sit --- sitting --- sat --- (have) sat Examples: I have sat way too long. Don’t sit on the railing. Who is sitting by George? The car sat in the garage for months. The baby fell asleep sitting in the chair. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Set means “to put” or “to place” something. It is transitive and usually has a direct object. set --- setting --- set --- (have) set Notice that the spelling of set never changes (except for the –ing form). Set the flowers on the table. Why are they setting the furniture there? I have set the new record. When you set your mind to it, you can learn this.

Practice with Sit and Set Consider the meaning and whether the verb has a direct object. sitting I enjoy ________ with my family at church. I had to ______ with someone else last week. I _____ my books beside me on the bench. Ted has _____ three state records. I have ______ in the same desk all year. He is _________ up a schedule of games. John ______ the board in place, and Dad nailed it. Just when we had ______ down, the tardy bell rang. ________ in the rain is not my idea of fun! Please ______ this floppy disk on my desk. sit set set sat setting set sat Sitting set