These questions ask you to choose between verbs of position or movement and to use their present, past or participle forms. Begin with one practical question: is the subject moving or resting itself, or is it acting on a separate thing?
Check for an object, then check the time
A direct object receives the action. In Mira laid the map down, map receives the placing action; in Mira lay down, nothing receives an action because Mira herself reclines. Once you know whether the verb needs an object, identify the time marker or auxiliary. A plain past-time sentence needs the simple past, while has, have or had needs the past participle.
| Meaning and object pattern | Forms and a small example |
|---|---|
| Recline; no direct object | lie, lay, lain: I lie down now; I lay down yesterday; I have lain here before. |
| Place something; direct object required | lay, laid, laid: Lay the scarf here; she laid it there; she had laid it flat. |
| Move upward by itself; no direct object | rise, rose, risen: Smoke rises; it rose slowly; it has risen above the roof. |
| Cause something to move or increase; direct object required | raise, raised, raised: They raise prices; they raised the fee; they have raised it twice. |
| Occupy a seated position; no direct object | sit, sat, sat: We sit together; we sat quietly; we have sat here before. |
| Place or fix something; direct object required | set, set, set: Set the vase here; he set it down; he had set it safely. |
The hardest overlap is lay. It is the present form of the object-taking verb lay, but it is also the simple past of the no-object verb lie. Let sentence structure and time decide: today I lay a book down, but yesterday I lay down. With a form of have, reclining requires lain, while placing requires laid.
Where the verb forms mislead
| Temptation | How to reject it |
|---|---|
| Using lay whenever the meaning is recline | For present or infinitive reclining, use lie. Lay is correct for reclining only as the simple past, or for placing when it acts on an object. |
| Using laid as the past of lie | Laid belongs to the object-taking verb lay. The simple past of lie is lay, even though that form looks like the other verb's present. |
| Putting lay or laid after has, have or had for reclining | The auxiliary requires a participle. Reclining uses lain; placing an object uses laid. |
| Giving rise a direct object or leaving raise without one | Something rises by itself, but someone raises something. Locate the receiver of the upward or increasing action. |
Try it
Which instruction contains a lie/lay error?
- Lie on the mat until the trainer returns.
- Lay the blanket across the bench.
- Please lie the folder on my desk.
- Lay each tile beside the marked line.
Complete the instruction with the present-tense form of lay: ___ the camera on the tripod before attaching the lens.
Which sentences use lie, lay, rise, raise, sit or set correctly? Select all that apply.
- The audience can sit near the stage.
- A stagehand will set the lamp on the mark.
- Warm air rises the paper lantern.
- The mechanic raised quickly from the floor.