BLOG SERIES “English Grammar Made Easy” by Andrew Yiannakis, Ph.D., Research Professor, University of New Mexico
Today I wish to discuss the near constant misuse of the verbs to “lie down” and to “lay down”.
To “lie”, as in…”to lie down” simply means to recline. To “lay down” does NOT mean the same, and the two verbs are NOT interchangeable. To “lay” means to put or place an object somewhere as in… “to lay the book on the table”.
As well as being different in meaning, the two verbs are also governed by different grammatical rules. To “lie” is an intransitive verb, which means it may NOT take a direct object. Thus, it is correct to say to someone…”please lie down”, but NOT “lay down”. On the other hand, to “lay” is a transitive verb and, as such, it must be accompanied by a direct object as in…. “lay the book down on the table”, with the book being the direct object.
In summary it is important to recognize that the two verbs are frequently misused. For example, when you visit your doctor the nurse will often ask you to “lay down”. This is totally wrong on two counts because to lay means to put or place, and also requires the addition of a direct object. A possible way around this for those who insist on misusing the verb to “lay” is to say something like “lay yourself down on the bed”, with “yourself” being the required direct object. This now means “put/place yourself down on the bed”, which is correct in both meaning and grammar, but is a rather archaic and awkward way to speak.
Every language has a rule structure which we call grammar. Grammar and specific language rules develop over a long period of time. That is, both language and grammar evolve based on long term usage. However, we should not assume that change, as far as language is concerned, happens overnight, over several years, or even decades. While new terms enter our current vocabulary every ten to 15 years, or so, grammatical rules and word meanings are much more stable and persistent. Often it may take up to a hundred years before we begin to see substantive changes in both grammar and word meaning.
While most people don’t really know how to write or speak correctly (unfortunately), it doesn’t help that very few schools actually teach grammar as part of their curriculum. Consequently ignorance is perpetuated and transmitted on a continuous basis from one generation to another. The problem is further exacerbated in movies, on TV, and in novels by authors who really should know better.
Best advice: Play safe and learn the grammatical rules of your generation if you want to speak and write persuasively and effectively, especially if you want to ace your next job interview. If you are a professional you can’t assume that everyone out there is illiterate, because that is not case!
Andrew Yiannakis, Ph.D. 