1. DANIEL PRESTON JULY 16, 2010

2. Lie v. Lay

3.  Lie  (present tense) means to rest or recline on a surface  Lie  lay (past tense). I lay down yesterday.  Lie  lain (past participle) I have lain down before  Lie  lying (present participle). I am lying down right now.

4.  Lay  (present tense) means to put or place something on a surface  Lay  laid (past tense). I laid down my keys and lost them.  Lay  laid (past participle) I have laid down my keys on the table before  Lay  laying (present participle). I am laying these papers on the table for you to sign.

5.  When I get the urge to exercise, I lay down until it passes.  When I get the urge to exercise, I lie down until it passes.

6.  A pile of dirty rags was laying at the bottom of the stairs.  A pile of dirty rags was lying at the bottom of the stairs.

7.  Yesterday, I ___________ down for a nap.  Lay (past tense of lie)  I have often ______ down on the couch after work.  Lain  Yesterday, I __________ the book down on the table.  Laid (past tense lay (set))

8.  Some of the tricky parts of these two words:  ‘Lied’ refers to a time when you didn’t tell the truth.  ‘Lay’ has meaning for both words, and so context becomes key.  The proper usage of these words often sounds strange, so the that rule of thumb may not apply.