Was I “laying” on the bed, or was I “lying” on the bed?

Question

Should this sentence use laying or lying?

Last week at this time, I was ____ on Sarah’s bed.

Can someone fill in the blank for me?

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Aug 03 '14 at 05:57

You could use lying. However your might prefer recumbent or prone. The first is defined by Merriam-Webster Online as

Recumbent adj.

lying down

While the second (again from Merriam-Webster Online)

Prone adj.

lying with the front of your body facing downward

score 1 · Answer 2 · edited Aug 03 '14 at 13:36

1

Lay means to put or set something down. Lie means to be or stay in a rest position. So in your case it’s lying.

edited Aug 03 '14 at 13:36

tchrist

answered Aug 03 '14 at 07:12

beginer

("After laying myself down, I will be lying down.") – keshlam Aug 03 '14 at 09:24
@keshalam wow great example man, you should put that an example. – beginer Aug 03 '14 at 13:38

2 Answers2