The word "laid" has a few different meanings, depending on the context in which it is used. In general, however, the word "laid" can be defined as having been placed or set down. It can also refer to having been put in a particular position or location.
One common use of the word "laid" is in the past tense of the verb "to lay," which means to place or set something down. For example, you might say "I laid the book on the table," or "She laid the baby in the crib." In these cases, the word "laid" is being used to describe the act of placing or setting something down.
Another use of the word "laid" is to describe something that has been put in a particular position or location. For example, you might say "The foundation for the new building has been laid," which means that the foundation has been put in place. This use of the word "laid" describes the act of positioning something in a specific location.
Finally, the word "laid" can also be used in a more colloquial sense to describe someone who is relaxed or at ease. For example, you might say "He was just laid back, enjoying the party," which means that he was relaxed and not stressed out. In this case, the word "laid" is being used to describe someone's state of mind or demeanor.
Overall, the word "laid" has a variety of different meanings, depending on the context in which it is used. It can refer to the act of placing or setting something down, the act of positioning something in a specific location, or someone's relaxed state of mind.
Laid
Another influence may be a folk belief that lie is for people and lay is for things. The dog laid in the shade. When will they lay the foundation for the addition? Much of the problem lies in the confusing similarity of the principal parts of the two words. She laid the baby in his crib for a nap. The folders have laid on the desk since yesterday.
But if it does rise to respectability, it is sure to do so slowly: many people have invested effort in learning to keep lie and lay distinct. Lay is most commonly a transitive verb and takes an object. . Present Tense: Lay: Unfold the blanket and lay it on the floor. The past tense of lie is lay, but not because there is any overlap between the two verbs.
In other words, lay takes a direct object, and lie does not. In informal English, lay is frequently used for lie: the book was laying on the table. Lay 1 and lie 2 are often confused. See corresponding entry in Unabridged calm, still, quiet. Some commentators are ready to abandon the distinction, suggesting that lay is on the rise socially. The mason is laying brick.
The folders have lain on the desk since yesterday. Abandoned cars were laying along the road. In all but the most careful, formal speech, forms of lay are commonly heard in senses normally associated with lie. Abandoned cars were lying along the road. But the verb lie 2 does not take an object: Lie down and rest a moment. Late at night they arrived at an inn; and as it was bad travelling in the dark, and the duck seemed much tired, and waddled about a good deal from one side to the other, they made up their minds to fix their quarters there: but the landlord at first was unwilling, and said his house was full, thinking they might not be very respectable company: however, they spoke civilly to him, and gave him the egg which Partlet had laid by the way, and said they would give him the duck, who was in the habit of laying one every day: so at last he let them come in, and they bespoke a handsome supper, and spent the evening very jollily. He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Remember that even though many people do use lay for lie, others will judge you unfavorably if you do. If there is, then use a form of lay. Note that we can lay something, as a baby, down on a bed; the baby will then lie there until we pick it up. Generations of teachers and critics have succeeded in taming most literary and learned writing, but intransitive lay persists in familiar speech and is a bit more common in general prose than one might suspect. Its forms are irregular; its past tense form is identical with the present tense or infinitive form of lay: Lie down, children.
A classroom trick is to say the word out loud. While we laid off after breakfast to sleep up, both of us being about wore out, I got to thinking that if I could fix up some way to keep pap and the widow from trying to follow me, it would be a certainer thing than trust- ing to luck to get far enough off before they missed me; you see, all kinds of things might happen. The difference in the present tense seems pretty straightforward: lay refers to a direct object, and lie does not. As for the misconceptions, well, when you look at the two verbs next to each other in different tenses, it becomes a bit more obvious where the confusion is. The dog lay in the shade and watched the kittens play. For many speakers, the problem comes in the past tense for these two verbs, because the past tense of lie 2 is lay, which looks like, but is not, the present form of lay: The dog will want to lie in the shade; yesterday he lay in the grass. Verb Lay the fabric carefully on the table.
In edited written English such uses of lay are rare and are usually considered nonstandard: Lay down, children. Lie: I had lain there for some time before getting up. One of the many common misunderstandings within the language stems from the confusion between lay and lie. Many people accidentally use lied instead of lain when using the verb lie. All careful writers and speakers observe the distinction even in informal contexts. Past Tense: Lay: She laid the blanket on the floor when I asked.
The baby is lying down. Lie: I felt sick, so I lay down. For many speakers, the verbs lay, lie 2 and lie 1 are confused. Also, lay it on thick. The a sound in lay sounds like the one in place, as in to place an object, whereas the i sound in lie sounds like the one in recline, as in to recline on a sofa. See corresponding entry in Unabridged deposit. The past participle form is a common point of error.
Past Participle: Lay: She had laid the blanket down before she left. The practice was unremarked until around 1770; attempts to correct it have been a fixture of schoolbooks ever since. Another way to help you decide is to remember that lay will typically be followed by a noun, whereas lie will typically be followed by the word down. She laid the baby in the crib. .
