Master confusing words with ease
Lay vs. Lie
Lay
/leɪ/Examples:
He showed us into a long dining-room where breakfast was laid.The studio is hysterical about the picture laying an egg.He lays for a stranger, and he fetches that stranger.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Lie
/laɪ/Examples:
Then suddenly, a lovelier object lay lifeless on the ground.The sick woman was lying on the ground.Herein lies a new revelation, a new language, a direct symbolism.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Lay requires a direct object, whereas lie does not. This means that something has to be laid down, but one can just lie down themselves.
- Remember: Lay, laid, laid requires an object that you are laying down. Lie, lay, lain means to recline or rest without an object.
- When you lay something, you are putting it down. When you lie down, you are placing yourself in a horizontal position.
- One lays something else down (please lay the book on the table); one lies down oneself (I need to lie down for a moment).
- A trick to remember is: Lay it on there like you would lay a book, but Lie down like you lie your body on the sofa.
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