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Tuesday 9 August 2011

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Lay or lie?


Lay or lie?
If you ‘lay’ something down, you put it in place. The long ‘a’ sound gives the clue.
If you ‘lie’ down, you recline. Here, the long ‘i’ sound should help you remember.

This is a topic on which reams of paper have been devoured, so I’m not going to expand on this one. I will, however, give a few examples, in the hope these will be of help.

‘Lay down and have a rest.’
‘She lay serene and still in the wild waving grass and dreamt of her hero approaching on a stallion of purest white.’
But: ‘He laid her on the couch and took advantage of her ready availability.’
‘Go to your room and lie in bed until I come up to tell you a story.’
‘When you lie on the couch like that, you give me ideas.’

Pic: Port Mulgrave, North Yorkshire

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