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Love to do some charity work. Have a passion for writing and do it in my spare time
Answered Aug 29, 2019
Lay and lie may seem to be the same thing, but they are different from each other. When you say lay, this means that you are going to lay something down. For example, you may say that you are laying down the cloth on the bed. When you lie, this means that you are going to lie yourself down. Even with this explanation, people may become confused with which one they should use.
Grammar is known to be tricky, but you can always check and double-check the things that you say or write to ensure that you are giving people the right idea. Can you imagine if people would misinterpret what you have stated because of the wrong usage of words?
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When the verb in the sentence is directed towards a specific object, the word “lay” is used. Lay is the transitive verb in the sentence. Example of this in a sentence: “Lay the book on the table”. The past tense of “lay” is “laid”.
When the verb in the sentence is not directed towards a specific object or no object, the word “lie” is used. Lie is the intransitive verb to be used in this situation. Example of this: “I need to lie down”. The past tense of “lie” is “lay”. This can be a bit confusing but that’s English language for you.
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Lay and lie are two action words. You might think they have the same meaning if you do not properly study the two words and know how they are used. The differences between lay and lie at times depend on how they are used in a sentence. Lay simply means to place something down in a position of rest. For example: you can lay the books on the table, in other words, it means you can put the books on the table. You can also use lay when you are referring to the process by which eggs are being produced by animals.
On the other hand, lie simply means to rest in a horizontal position on a surface. It also means to remain at a position for a specific time. while lay literally means to place something down in a position of rest, lie simply talks about an object that is already resting. Lie also means to give false information deliberately.
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