#Past tense of lay eyes on full#

In English, among both native and second-language speakers, the word “lay” is often mistakenly used interchangeably with “lie” but the two are actually different.

#Past tense of lay eyes on full#

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between lay and lie.The word “lay” has two main definitions, both of which pertain to putting things down on the ground. After he laid the blanket down, he lay on it for two hours! Here’s an example of lay and lie used correctly in the same sentence.Įxample: He said he was just going to lay the blanket on the grass and lie on it for a few minutes, but he lied. If you could replace the word with recline, you probably want to use lie, as in I just want to lie (recline) in bed for a few more minutes. If you can replace it with put, you probably want to use lay, as in Please lay (put) the bags on the table. Lay down is also used as a verb phrase meaning about the same thing as lay, as in You can lay down your bags on the table (or You can lay your bags down on the table).Īlthough lay and lie are often used interchangeably in casual communication, it’s best to use them in the standard way in more formal contexts.Ī good way to remember which one to use is to think about whether you could replace the word with put or recline. Using the phrase lay down to mean the same thing is considered nonstandard, but it’s also very common.

This sense of lie is commonly used in the verb phrase lie down, as in I was feeling tired so I decided to lie down. In contrast, lie is something you do yourself without any other recipients of the action. Lay is typically used with an object, meaning someone or something is getting laid down by someone.

The other tenses of lay are laid, as in I laid the bags on the table, and laying, as in Start laying the fruit here and the vegetables there. (In contrast, when lie is used as a verb meaning to tell an untruth, its past tense is simply lied.) The other tenses of this sense of lie are lain, as in I have lain in bed for the past three hours, and lying, as in I am lying in bed right now. The confusion between the two words is largely due to the fact that lay is also the past tense form of this sense of lie, as in I lay in bed yesterday morning wishing I could go back to sleep. Though it’s considered nonstandard, lay is commonly used to mean the same thing as this sense of lie, as in I just want to lay in bed for a few more minutes. The sense of lie that’s often confused with lay means to be in or get into a reclining position-to recline, as in I just want to lie in bed for a few more minutes. Lay commonly means to put or place someone or something down, as in Lay the bags on the table or I’m going to lay the baby in the crib. The folders have laid on the desk since yesterday. Abandoned cars were laying along the road. In edited written English such uses of lay are rare and are usually considered nonstandard: Lay down, children. In all but the most careful, formal speech, forms of lay are commonly heard in senses normally associated with lie. The folders have lain on the desk since yesterday. The dog lay in the shade and watched the kittens play. Abandoned cars were lying along the road. Its forms are irregular its past tense form is identical with the present tense or infinitive form of lay : Lie down, children. Lay also has many intransitive senses, among them “to lay eggs” ( The hens have stopped laying ), and it forms many phrasal verbs, such as lay off “to dismiss (from employment)” or “to stop annoying or teasing” and lay over “to make a stop.” Lie, with the overall senses “to be in a horizontal position, recline” and “to rest, remain, be situated, etc.,” is intransitive and takes no object. If “place” or “put” can be substituted in a sentence, a form of lay is called for: Lay the folders on the desk. Lay is most commonly a transitive verb and takes an object.