Lie or Lay?

[Chuck Bao]

I have a grammar question. Which would you choose? Lie or lay, as in:

A number of uncertainties lie ahead.

Or,

A number of uncertainties lay ahead.

They both sound right to me. Lie somehow sounds less hillbilly and somehow more future tense.

But, waylayed is in the dictionary and I can see how the uncertainties sometime in the future waylayed me, so how could they not lay ahead now.

Which would you go with? Lie or lay?

[olevetonahill]

Heres the Proper way to use those 2 words

#1 Im gonna Lie my *** off to that bitch.
#2 Im gonna Lay that bitch.
unnerstan ?

[Frozen Sooner]

Depends on the tense.

If you're saying that these things are in the future, then it's lie.

If you're saying that, in retrospect, those things were ahead of you and they're past now, then it's lay.

[olevetonahill]

I liked My splane better :hot:

[Chuck Bao]

Depends on the tense.

If you're saying that these things are in the future, then it's lie.

If you're saying that, in retrospect, those things were ahead of you and they're past now, then it's lay.

I'm not getting it. Then, there should be no lay, only layed?

[Fugue]

VK is a walking grammar encyclopedia. She'll straighten this out.

And probably make fun of you too. :texan:

[Chuck Bao]

Okay, I get it now. As in: "What lay ahead eventually turned our hero into a scumbucket, hyprocrite republican."

[Chuck Bao]

Heres the Proper way to use those 2 words

#1 Im gonna Lie my *** off to that bitch.
#2 Im gonna Lay that bitch.
unnerstan ?

But, I still like Olevet's definitions.

[olevetonahill]

But, I still like Olevet's definitions.

Thank ya .:D

[Chuck Bao]

Or, "what lay in front of me on that night of passion is something so unfortunate that will lie in front of me for the rest of my life".

Is that right, Rich?

[badger]

Ehhh... let's see...

"lay" means to place or to put upon, whereas "lie" means to be in a state of lying down.

So, think back your nursery rhymes children, "Now I LAY me down to sleep..." Because you are placing yourself upon your bed as you LAY down to sleep, it is not actually "Now I lie me down to sleep," but it is correct to say "Now I LAY me down to sleep."

I am trying to think of a famous example of proper use of "lie," but I cannot, so I will Google one from song lyrics:

"Falling out of what I know is true
Falling come shelter me as I lie here bleeding
Falling away from what I thought was you
Falling come shelter me as I lie here bleeding"

Wow, how emo. Anyway, "As I lie here" refers to state of being, as opposed to the act of lying down or something like that. Therefore, it is correct to say "As I lie here" as opposed to "As I lay here."

Now... if someone can clarify affect/effect, we'll be set for the grammar police, should they ever arrive :D

EDIT: To answer your question, the correct choice is "A number of uncertainties lie ahead." because you are not placing the uncertainties, but rather, they are already there. Get it? :)

[Frozen Sooner]

Or, "what lay in front of me on that night of passion is something so unfortunate that will lie in front of me for the rest of my life".

Is that right, Rich?

Yes. I think. But I may be wrong. The answer lies ahead.

[badger]

Or, "what lay in front of me on that night of passion is something so unfortunate that will lie in front of me for the rest of my life".

Is that right, Rich?

"Lay" is the past tense form of "lie," so this is correct.

[Chuck Bao]

Or, "what lay infront of me on that night of passion is something so unfortunate, meaning my contraction of herpes, and that will lay in front of me for the rest of my life like the sun rising yesterday as it did the day before. "

Is past tense a contraction, like a disease? And, what about fate and destiny? I may have been destinied for the herpes. I'd feel better about it if it were so.

[batonrougesooner]

I'm gonna get lied tonight.

[olevetonahill]

I'm gonna get lied tonight.

Lucky Bastage .:pop:

[Viking Kitten]

The correct usage is "a number of uncertainties lie ahead."

The simple reason for that is there is no direct object in that sentence.

"I lie down."

"I lay the book (book is a direct object) down."

Ratt uses correct grammar. "Lay it Down." "It" is a direct object. Eric Clapton does not use correct grammar. "Lay Down Sally." He should have said "Lie down Sally," because there is no direct object. If he had written "Lay that sh*t down, Sally," he would have been correct.

Go tit?

[olevetonahill]

what about Dylan In Lay lady Lay?:D

[OUHOMER]

The correct usage is "a number of uncertainties lie ahead."

The simple reason for that is there is no direct object in that sentence.

"I lie down."

"I lay the book (book is a direct object) down."

Ratt uses correct grammar. "Lay it Down." "It" is a direct object. Eric Clapton does not use correct grammar. "Lay Down Sally." He should have said "Lie down Sally," because there is no direct object. If he had written "Lay that sh*t down, Sally," he would have been correct.

Go tit?
Damn, i bet you hate to read my post :D is it like finger nails on a chalk board?

[Viking Kitten]

WRONG, DYLAN, YOU PUTZ!

[olevetonahill]

WRONG, DYLAN, YOU PUTZ!

:O :O :O :O
But what about It ?
:P

[Viking Kitten]

Dear Mods:

The "putz" comment was directed at Bob Dylan, not at OUHomer, even though his posts are in fact like nails on a chalkboard.

[OUHOMER]

:D

[olevetonahill]

Dear Mods:

The "putz" comment was directed at Bob Dylan, not at OUHomer, even though his posts are in fact like nails on a chalkboard.

Homer didnt Make the Dylan Referance Ya PUTZ :P

[Frozen Sooner]

WRONG, DYLAN, YOU PUTZ!

http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/images/buttons/infraction.gif

;)

[Fugue]

The correct usage is "a number of uncertainties lie ahead."

The simple reason for that is there is no direct object in that sentence.

"I lie down."

"I lay the book (book is a direct object) down."

Ratt uses correct grammar. "Lay it Down." "It" is a direct object. Eric Clapton does not use correct grammar. "Lay Down Sally." He should have said "Lie down Sally," because there is no direct object. If he had written "Lay that sh*t down, Sally," he would have been correct.

Go tit?

What did I tell you freakin' people?

Answering with a hair band in the example = spek.

And I'd spek Ratt if I could. The chances of those guys getting it right had to be around zero. :)