Do you Lay or Lie?

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Away from the desk and all things computer for the moment. So, I’m going to keep things going with scheduled blogs dealing with the language we use as writers. I hope you’ll forgive me if I don’t reply to any comments for the time being, but I’m having a very well-earned (I think so, anyway) rest from work for a couple of weeks.

Do you Lay or Lie?

lay: to place in a horizontal position, to put down, (always followed by an object). ‘When you lay the table, please ensure the cutlery is in the right order.’

lie: to recline, to be or remain in a prone position.  ‘After an exhausting photo shoot, the glamour model had to lie down for a rest .’ 

When using the present tense only, use lay if you can replace the word in question with put. There’s a great and simple piece on this issue at http://www.writersrelief.com/blog/post/LieLay-Lesson.aspx.