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Thursday, April 24, 2008
"Laying" and "Lying" - Use the Correct Word !!!!
This is one misuse of the English language which - for some reason unknown to me - annoys me intensely ! Just to be clear, "to lay" is a transitive verb which requires a direct object - thus chickens "lay" eggs - and if you say your are going to "lay down" then you must say what it is you are going to lay down - eg your pen or - to quote the song - your arms. "Lie" (which of course can also mean to tell an untruth) is an intransitive verb and is used in the sense of placing oneself horizontally, ie "I am going to lie down". Get it right and stop annoying me !!
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Then when is lying correct? The book was lying on the table or was the book laying on the table?
ReplyDeleteIt should be "lying on the table", meaning it was positioned there horizontally. If you say "laying on the table", you imply the book was laying something on the table, which is of course impossible. You might say "the chicken was laying (an egg) on the table", whereas if this unfortunate creature had simply been left there either dead or unconscious, then it is "lying on the table".
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