Flashcard 17 - Subtest I: Reading, Language, and Literature Flashcard Set for the CSET Multiple Subjects Test

no

Lay and lie are just two of the often misused and confused words in the English language. The rule of thumb for these two is that lie is something people can do by themselves (both as in “I lie to get out of trouble,” and “I should lie down.”) whereas lay requires an object to lay somewhere. For example, “Lay your jacket over the chair.” However, the past tense of lie is lay and since this sentence is talking about what Maria did in the past, its use of lay seems to be correct. But look carefully, this use actually requires the use of the infinitive “to lie” and not the past tense. You can check it by inserting another verb’s past tense and see how it sounds: “Maria had to slept because she was exhausted after…” You would use “sleep,” the present tense or infinitive.