To Lie or Not To Lie (Let sleeping dogs lie.)

Greetings, Friends,

Generally folks who grew up in literate households use correct grammar. However, lie and lay are different and confuse many people.

Interestingly, nearly every medical professional I have encountered (and there have been many) who has asked me
to recline—for examination or treatment—has requested me
to “Lay down.” Of course, it's no time for a grammar lesson,
but I do, in fact, flinch before the treatment has even begun.

So here's a quick review of the “three principal parts” of the verb to lie: lie, lay, lain:
To lie means to recline (for people, creatures, and things) and works for both the present and future tense:

I lie on the sofa to read. The cat lies near me. The book will lie on the table until I retrieve it.

Lay is the past tense of to lie. (Since it is also the present tense of to lay, it causes the most confusion.)

This afternoon, I lay on the sofa. The cat lay near me. The paper lay on the table.

Lain works with helping the verbs: have, has, and had:

I have lain there too long. The cat has lain in the same place. The book had lain there since noon.

And then there is lying: The book is still lying there.
The cat has been lying there.

Perhaps folks think using the verb to lay instead of to lie feels more “down home.” (Maybe the medical professionals just want to put me at ease?)

Below is a quick review of the three principal parts of the verb “to lay”: lay, laid, laid:
To lay means to put or place and requires an object. To lay is used for the present and future tense: Each day the dog lays the paper at my feet. I will lay the book on another surface.

Laid is the past tense. He laid the paper at my feet.

I laid the baby in his bed.

Laid also works with helping verbs: He has laid the paper down. They have laid the blame at his feet.

Laying completes the set: When he arrived, I was laying some papers on the desk.

Below is a little quiz, followed by some real errors:
1. Please (lay, lie) down.

2. You should (lay, lie) the infant on her back.

3. Earlier she (lay, laid) on her tummy.

4. Having (laid, lain) there for several hours, he finally got up.

5. He (lay, laid) the puppy beside its mother.

Here are a few representative samples from my treasure trove of wonderful, awful examples. 
A. Most people associate reading with laying lying on the beach.  (David Baldocci in Newsweek)

B. Rosie went and got her a cool wet compress ... and lay laid it on her forehead. (Faith Sullivan, The Cape Ann)

C. Never forget: You're still on the ride, and much further down the road lays lies the destination. (Anne Lamott, Crooked Little Heart) 

Answers to quiz: (1) lie, (2) lay, (3) lay, (4) lain, (5) laid