To Lay Or To Lie – That Is The Question

What happens to a society when correct grammar sounds wrong? Take the case of the verbs “lay” and “lie.” “To lie” means to “recline”; “to lay” signifies to put. However, these verbs remain confused in common parlance. While one should “lie down,” for that luscious nap, or cozy technicolor siesta, most people “lay down” and obliterate the integrity of both verbs. Does this happen because of ignorance? Or frankly, do most people just not give a damn these days?
“To Lie” in Present Tenses
Homonym confusion can figure into the greater conundrum of “to lay” and “to lie.” When one engages in mendacity, one tells a lie, or one “lies.” “Whoops, he lied about it. But it was just a teensy white lie.” This is a unique meaning of “to lie,” apart from the significance of “to recline.” Consider a dog who is reclining in a pasture of scintillating bluegrass. Lucky dog!
This dog lies on the grass. (No. The dog has not told a lie. He is a veracious and loyal pup. No, the dog is certainly not laying on the grass, despite what his master contends.) In the present progressive tense, “The dog is lying on the grass,” and in the present perfect tense, “The dog has lain on the grass.” Indeed, it is quite possible that the master has laid (placed) Fido on a plush blanket, where he now lies in blissful slumber, dreaming of filet mignon for supper.
Many people find the past participle, “lain,” particularly awkward. A general response to confronting this exotic yet normal verb form is, “But no one says that!” This is actually a half truth – or half a lie! Most people in American society do not “lie down.” Dylan still sings, “Lay lady, lay.”
When even popular music reinforces this grammar, the task of bringing the correct form into some limelight becomes more complicated. People love Bob Dylan, the song, and group acceptance. “Lain” is not what they heard growing up, even from highly educated people. Such a response, again, reflects the way people speak in general, which is a powerful political force on the future of any word and its usage. Ultimately, the force of democracy can change a word’s destiny. Today “lain” is a ghost of a word. Nevertheless, for the moment, it remains the correct past participle of “to lie.” Writers and speakers loyal to the language use this to form all the perfect tenses.
“To Lay” in Present Tenses
One can stay with this same dog who has a keen interest in good grammar. This canine lays his bone on the front porch. That is, he puts it on the front porch. To show motion, the present progressive tense is most effective. “Look, Fido is laying his jumbo beef bone on the front porch!” “In fact, Fido has laid various bones on the front porch today. That is where he keeps his stash.”
“To Lie” in the Past Tenses
Perhaps the greatest verbal perplexity between “to lay” and “to lie” occurs in the simple past tense. Examine the following examples.
“Fido lies on the quilt.” (Present Indicative)
“Yesterday, Fido lay on the quilt.” (Simple past or preterite tense.)
Simply, the preterite tense of “to lie” is “lay.” Thus, “At 11 P.M., Fido lay down with his master for a good night’s sleep.” Consider the following example sentences to reinforce this form that many find unfamiliar.
“Sleeping Beauty lay asleep for a hundred years.”
“Before the Conquistadors lay a civilization cloaked in gold.”
“I was lying on the beach, when the tsunami alarm sounded.” This sentence calls on past progressive tense to show the action.
“He had lain on that beach every summer.” (This is the pluperfect tense. He does not lie on the beach anymore. That action remains gelled in the past.)
“To Lay” in the Past Tenses
It is easier and more familiar to master “to lay” in the past tenses. The simple past tense or preterite form of “to lay” is “laid.” For example, “Veronica laid the bag of green apples on the table.” She put them on the table. In the pluperfect tense, “Veronica had laid the apples on the table.” However, the table broke, and she got rid of it. Now she lays the apples on a chair.” “Laid” is the simple past form of the verb and also the past participle, thus used to form all the perfect tenses.
“To Lay” or “To Lie?”
After learning the proper usage of these verbs, a more extreme question arises. It can be socially sticky to use the correct forms of these verbs, particularly when everyone else in the room, the country, of what one perceives to be the world, thinks strange forms are afoot in the mouth of the speaker. They will correct the speaker. The speaker, in possession of this new knowledge will then correct the corrector. Faces will turn red. Dictionaries will fly. Shame will ensue, while friendships and familial relations combust. Using correct forms will remain a personal decision, and whether one decides to follow the hallowed grammar or speak like the crowd, it is always best to know the rules. In this way, one may break them ironically, even playfully, rather than ignorantly.
Now it’s time to lie down.

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