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PAST TENSE OF LAY FOR PEOPLE HOW TO

Then we _ down on it to watch for falling stars.Ĭonvert the sentence to present tense: “We LAY a blanket on the grass. Example: Yesterday evening, we _ a blanket on the grass.Yes, this takes an extra few seconds, but if you really want to get it right, it’s worth it. Because all you have to do is convert your sentence to present tense, figure out the right verb choice, and then pick the proper past-tense conjugation.

PAST TENSE OF LAY FOR PEOPLE HOW TO

They really know how to confuse us, don’t they? Lay and lie present their own special problem, because the past tense of “lie” is “lay.”īefore you start to panic, though, take a deep breath. The subject of the sentence (for instance, the dog) performs the action (lie), but nothing receives the action. They are receiving the action of the verb “lay.” The hen is the subject, the one performing the action. Those “eggs” we were talking about? Those are the direct object in the sentence. As we already noted, you use “lay” with a direct object. Now that you know some neat tricks for remembering the two, let’s look at the grammar behind it. When you swap out the verbs, you get “I lay the towel on the sand, so my mom can lie on it.” The Grammar Behind Lay or Lie Example: I place the towel on the sand, so my mom can recline on it.”.

If you can substitute the word “place” and the sentence still makes sense, use “lay.” When you can swap it out for “recline,” use “lie.” Those words have built-in letters that point you in the right direction! In this sentence, there is no “egg.” Lucy isn’t laying something, she herself is going to lie down.

Example: Lucy was tired, so she went to _ on her bed for awhile.

In this example, the students are the “hens,” and their papers are the “eggs.” So, the students lay their papers in the tray at the end of class.

Example: The students _ their papers in the tray at the end of class.

Figure out if your sentence has a “hen” and an “egg.” If so, use “lay.” Otherwise, use “lie.” Use that same concept anytime you’re wondering whether “lay” is the right word. You would never say a hen “lies” her eggs. Still confused? These examples should help clear things up. In other words, you’ll always lay “something” down, but a “something” will lie down. When you come right down to it, it’s very simple: use “lay” with a direct object, and “lie” without. Use them yourself or share them with students. Here are some tried-and-true methods for remembering how to use lay and lie correctly. But if you’re a stickler for grammar (or you’re a student whose teacher is one of those sticklers), then you’ll want to get it right. Most people are still going to understand what you’re saying and might not even notice the difference.