fox: linguistics-related IPA (linguistics)
fox ([personal profile] fox) wrote2003-05-23 01:30 am

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.

[identity profile] darthfox.livejournal.com 2003-05-25 07:01 am (UTC)(link)
both "you should lay down" and "she lay her head on his shoulder" are wrong, wrong, wrong. they make my ears hurt. augh! :-)

and, 'mu, you do so know what "transitive" and "intransitive" mean. what's a direct object? transitive verbs have them. intransitive verbs don't. silly girl. :-)