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Laid' or Lain'?: Find Out More

The document discusses the difference between the verbs "laid" and "lain". It notes that "laid" is both the past tense and past participle of the verb "lay" meaning "to place something in a horizontal position", while "lain" is the past participle of the verb "lie" meaning "to assume a horizontal position". It provides a table outlining the correct usage of "lay" and "lie" in the present tense, past tense, and past participle.

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Anjan Ray
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32 views2 pages

Laid' or Lain'?: Find Out More

The document discusses the difference between the verbs "laid" and "lain". It notes that "laid" is both the past tense and past participle of the verb "lay" meaning "to place something in a horizontal position", while "lain" is the past participle of the verb "lie" meaning "to assume a horizontal position". It provides a table outlining the correct usage of "lay" and "lie" in the present tense, past tense, and past participle.

Uploaded by

Anjan Ray
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Home Usage ‘Laid’ or ‘lain’?




‘Laid’ or ‘lain’?
People are often perplexed about this group of words. The important thing to remember is that
there are two quite separate verbs involved.
Lay is the present tense of a verb whose basic meaning is ‘place something in a more or less
horizontal position’, with the past tense and participle laid. 

Lay is also the past tense of the verb lie  (‘assume a horizontal or resting position’); while lain is
the past participle.

So the proper use is:

  Lay Lie
present tense Please lay it on the floor. Go and lie down.
past tense She laid the book on the desk. She went and lay down.
past participle They had laid it on the floor. The body had lain in the field for some time.

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