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First,
see how the words look in the present and the past tense.
| |
Present |
Past |
| lie |
he
lies..., he is lying... |
he
lay..., he was lying..., he has lain... |
| lay |
she
lays, she is laying |
he
laid, he was laying, he has laid |
Now
compare the following:
| lay
( + object) |
She
laid the baby on the bed in order to change its nappy. |
| lie
( + phrase of place) |
She
was lying asleep on the sofa when her husband arrived home. |
| lay
( + object) |
Can
you lay the table for me please? Lunch is ready. |
| lie
( + phrase of place) |
I
told her not to lie out in the sun, but she must have lain there
for at least an hour for her back was very sunburnt. |
| lay
( + object) |
I
had never laid carpets before, but I was determined to have
a go. |
| lie
( + phrase of place) |
When
I looked out of the aircraft window, I could see that London
lay beneath us. |
| lay
( + object) |
His
lawyer will lay great emphasis on his state of mind when the
murder was committed and claim that it was manslaughter, not
murder. |
| lie
( + phrase of place) |
None
of us knows what lies ahead, but you must try to take a grip
on your life and decide where your future lies. |
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