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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