1. Study

The word lie means to take a certain position, or to be in that position. It has these five forms: lie, lies, lay, lying, lain. See if you can find its meaning in each of these sentences. Notice that lay shows past time.

Read the sentences very many times, so they will sound right to you.

1. I do not like to lie in bed late. .

2. Rover lies in the shade most of the day.

3. Edna is lying in the hammock.

4. She has lain there for an hour.

5. She lay there yesterday, too.

6. The book lies on the table.

7. It lay there yesterday.

8. It has lain there ever since.

9. A large stone lay in his path, as he rode down the hill.

2. Exercise

Use each of these forms in two different sentences. Make at least three of the sentences questions.

lie lies lay lain lying.

3. Study

To lay means to put or to place in a lying position. This word has four forms: lay, lays, laying, laid. Notice that the word lay is in the last set of words too. You learned that when it means to be in a certain position it shows past time. You will see from the following sentences that, when it means to put into that position, it shows present time.

Study these sentences, and decide if each form of lay has the right meaning:

1. She laid the package away.

2. Mary is laying the plates in a row.

3. Lay your books here.

4. He has laid his watch under the pillow.

5. Mother laid her work in the basket.

6. Lay your cloak here.

7. The nurse laid the baby on the bed.

8. James is laying the blankets on the ground.

4. Exercise

a. Use each of these forms in a sentence. Be sure that you express the right meaning.

lay lays laying laid.

b. Fill the blanks in these sentences with one of the words you have been studying. Be able to tell in class your reasons for choosing the word that you did.

1. We------our books away when we were through work.

2. I do not like to------in a hammock.

3. Sam told Rover to------down.

4. You should------down and rest.

5. The great ship------at anchor all last week,

6. The sick man has------in bed for two weeks.

7. Who------the bricks in this pavement?

8. The man------his hand on the boy's head.

9. ------the papers carefully away.

10. Last month the leaves------in great heaps under the trees.

11. Do cows------down when they sleep?

12. I------my books on the grass.

13. John------his there, too.

14. James is------his books there, now.

15. James is------on the ground.