I lay down my backpack in the hallway when I get home.
Present
Present Participle
Past
Past Participle
Lie (self)
lie
lying
lay
lain
Lay (object)
lay
laying
laid
laid
Notice that the transitive verb (the one you do to an object) is more regular than the intransitive verb (the one you do to yourself). Lay adds -ing and -ed (with a spelling change). Lie adds -ing, but changes to lay and lain.
I lie down on my bed when I am tired.
I am lying down on my bed right now.
I lay down on my bed yesterday.
In the past I have lain down on my bed.
I lay my backpack down in the hall.
I am laying my backpack down.
Yesterday I laid my backpack down.
In the past I have laid my back pack down.
Practice What You've Learned
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Directions:
Choose the correct verb to complete the sentence.
1.
I was sure I hadlay/laidmy keys down by the front door, but somehow they got into the refrigerator.
2.
The tigerlaid/layin wait in the bushes, waiting for a deer to pass by.
3.
I have oftenlain/laidawake at night worrying about the next day.
4.
Allison usuallylies/laysher rings down on the sink when she washes her hands, but sometimes she forgets them.
5.
I knew my little brother waslying/layingin wait behind the door, waiting to jump out and scare me, but I played along.
6.
The lawyerlay/laidher files aside and spoke passionately to the jury.
7.
The accident victimlay/laidon the side of the road until the ambulance arrived.
8.
Julie islying/layingout her clothes for tomorrow.
9.
The castlelies/layson the bank of the Rhein River.
10.
Before we moved, my catlaid/layin the bathroom window whenever it was sunny.