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She lay on the beach while her son splashed at the water's edge.

or

She laid on the beach while her son splashed at the water's edge.

Grammarly is indicating that both are correct, but Word Power says that the first is correct.

livresque
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Neil
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    There is a related question with a good answer at Help using lay and lie. – Conrado Aug 10 '20 at 20:48
  • @Jason Bassford Lied? – Chaim Aug 10 '20 at 21:31
  • @Jason Bassford It's only lied in the other sense of the word: to fib! – Old Brixtonian Aug 10 '20 at 22:23
  • I lie on the beach everyday. Yesterday, I lay on the beach for two hours. Recently, I have lain on the beach for hours on end. In short: lie, lay, lain. – Lambie Aug 10 '20 at 22:53
  • I lay the table every night; Last night I laid the table. Recently, I have laid the table more than my sisters. In short: lay, laid, laid. [to set something down] – Lambie Aug 10 '20 at 22:58
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    More help: What is the difference between “lay” and “lie”?. – livresque Aug 11 '20 at 00:15
  • Depending on context (which has not been provided), they are both grammatical. If she reclined on the beach in the past, then she lay on the beach. As mentioned in a comment under the current single answer, if she is a chicken, then it's quite correct to say that she "laid [an egg] on the beach." It's also correct to say that she *lied* on the beach, if she was telling a falsehood while on the beach. You have to provide more information than you currently have. What actual action is being described, and when did it occur? – Jason Bassford Aug 11 '20 at 03:58
  • The usage is changing because English is a living language. Being old I don't like "I was laid on the beach", "I was sat in my car" and so on because 'laid' and 'sat' used to be regarded solely as transitive verbs so I think "I laid what on the beach?" and "Who sat me in my car". However modern conversational usage accepts both 'sat' and 'laid' as intransitive verbs. Grammarly is reflecting the newer usage but Word Power is not. Personally I prefer Word Power in this instance. – BoldBen Aug 11 '20 at 07:43

1 Answers1

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Your first sentence is correct: your second is incorrect.

Lay and Lie are two different verbs. In everyday spoken English they regularly get mixed up, perhaps because both may be followed by the word on, and because - annoyingly - the past tense of lie is lay.

Lay is a transitive verb. That means it takes a direct object.

I go in and lay the papers on the desk.
He is laying the table for dinner.
She laid it yesterday.  
When he had laid the table he left.

Lie is an intransitive verb. It doesn't take a direct object. It is like yawn. You don't yawn anything and you don't lie anything.

I lie on the bed, reading.
She was lying on the lawn.
She lay there all day.
When he had lain there for an hour he got up.
Old Brixtonian
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  • So why is one right and the other wrong, in OP's example sentence? – Hot Licks Aug 10 '20 at 22:31
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    @Hot Licks Because it's the wrong verb. It should be (the past tense of) the verb to lie, not the (past tense of) the verb to lay. The verb 'to lay' has 'laid' as its past tense, and it always takes a direct object. She laid WHAT on the beach? An egg? (Hmm. Actually that is possible. She might be a hen. I don't know the context!) Did YOU give me the -1 btw? – Old Brixtonian Aug 10 '20 at 22:42
  • So you're saying that "lay" is wrong?? The first sentence is INcorrect?? – Hot Licks Aug 10 '20 at 22:45
  • No! As I said in my answer, "the past tense of lie is lay." I lie on my bed. Yesterday too I lay on my bed. – Old Brixtonian Aug 10 '20 at 22:50
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    This answer is correct and the OP's second sentence is a mistake. She lay on the beach while etc. Simple past.But, the present perfect is lain. She has lain on the damn beach all day. The past perfect is also lain: He had lain there for two hours when his friends showed up. This answer should not be downvoted! – Lambie Aug 10 '20 at 23:01
  • People are clueless. – Lambie Aug 10 '20 at 23:08
  • @Lambie Thanks, Lambie :-) – Old Brixtonian Aug 10 '20 at 23:09
  • But when was she on the beach? – Hot Licks Aug 10 '20 at 23:49
  • She laid a towel on the beach, and lay down on it. – Kate Bunting Aug 11 '20 at 07:59
  • @Hot Licks Yesterday, OK? It was a hot day. She lay on the beach. Her kid played in the water. The thing with the shark happened. She drove home. She took a shower. That's when she realized! She'd left the goddam towel on the beach. – Old Brixtonian Aug 11 '20 at 09:26
  • I think you have a bright future ahead of you in the grand old comic tradition of your fair isles ("the thing with the shark happened") – Lambie Aug 11 '20 at 12:54
  • @Lambie: Spooky. Mostly behind me. Fleetingly bright perhaps. – Old Brixtonian Aug 11 '20 at 20:37