The Lay of the Land About “Lay” & “Lie”

In previous editions of this newsletter when we’ve talked about the differences between two or three words, we’ve been talking about homophones. Lose/loose, affect/effect, there/they’re/their, advise/advice. They sound alike but have different meanings.

Today, though, I want to talk about “lay” and “lie”. They don’t really sound alike, but they are often misused. Knowing the difference and using them correctly will go a long way to keeping your writing clear and cringe-free.

Both these words are verbs as well as nouns. I think that it’s in the verb usage that most miscommunication occurs.

There are many more definitions of the verb forms of “lay” and “lie” than what I’ve shown here. I simplified the ones that apply to what we’re talking about today.

“Lay” means to carefully place something in a horizontal position and leave it there; it is at rest.

“Lie” means for someone to recline or otherwise get into a horizontal position. (Or possibly somedog or somecat.)

The difference lies in the noun the verb applies to. Is the subject an inanimate object? Use “lay”. Is the subject a living being? Use “lie”.

“Lay your pencils down. Time’s up.” A pencil is an inanimate thing, it can’t move by itself. It must be acted upon, therefore “lay”.

“Lie down, Pouncer. That’s a good kitty.” Pouncer the cat can act on her own, therefore “lie”. (Although to tell you the truth, I’ve never known any cats that will actually go lie down when you tell them to. And I’ve been staff to several.)

Does this clear things up for you about when to use “lay” and “lie”? If not, please let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next week.