How to Know the Difference Between Lie and Lay

<font size="5">I</font>t is not that these two words are from very different roots. In contrast to many English words, which are from Latin/French origin, both words are from the Old English (Germanic) root licgan, which means a sleeping place. The word lair is also from the same root. Differentiating usage of lie and lay sometimes becomes difficult. Another word lie meaning false claim which is completely from a different root, adds to the difficulty.

== Steps ==
#  Know that lay is a regular verb; that is, it is easy to remember its past and perfect participle.
#* Past participle : Laid.
#* Perfect participle : Laid.
#* Gerund : Laying
#  Contrast lie as an irregular verb; that is, one should memorise its past and perfect participle.
#* Past participle : Lay.
#* Perfect participle : Lain.
#* Gerund : Lying
#  Keep in mind that Lay is a transitive verb; that is, it needs an object to act on.
#* I laid my head on the desk for a minute. (lay, laid, laid, laying)
#* I laid the book on the floor. (lay, laid, laid, laying)
#  Remember, though, that lie is intransitive; that is, it does not need an object. Not only it does not need an object but that it does not accept an object to act on.
#* His noble head had lain on the pillow, talking calmly. (lie, lay, lain, lying)
#* I lay on the sandy ground and gazed at stars. (lie, lay, lain, lying)
#  Contrast lie meaning to say something false. It is a regular verb; that is, it is easy to remember its past and perfect participle.
#* Past participle : Lied.
#* Perfect participle : Lied.
#* Gerund : Lying
#* Subjective noun : Liar

== Related wikiHows ==
*How to Know the Difference Between Lose and Loose
*How to Know the Difference Between Rise and Raise
*How to Improve Your Grammar
*How to Use You're and Your