Entry tags:
memo
dear everyone:
this is not a fox-at-the-end-of-her-tether memo. i say this with the calm patience of a preschool teacher supervising a four-year-old's efforts to tie his shoelaces.
the verb lie (not in its sense of "tell untruths," of course) is intransitive. that is, it does not take a direct object; you cannot lie something down. its principle parts are lie, lay, lain.
the verb lay is transitive -- it takes a direct object; you must lay something down. its principle parts are lay, laid, laid.
please stop using "lay" as the past tense of "lay" as soon as you conveniently can. thank you.
this is not a fox-at-the-end-of-her-tether memo. i say this with the calm patience of a preschool teacher supervising a four-year-old's efforts to tie his shoelaces.
the verb lie (not in its sense of "tell untruths," of course) is intransitive. that is, it does not take a direct object; you cannot lie something down. its principle parts are lie, lay, lain.
the verb lay is transitive -- it takes a direct object; you must lay something down. its principle parts are lay, laid, laid.
please stop using "lay" as the past tense of "lay" as soon as you conveniently can. thank you.
