Which is which? lie, lay, or laid
We all goof this one up!
Just to remind us when we are getting ready to lie down or if we are lying down.
present tense of verb ‘to lie’
I lie, or I am lying
you lie, or you are lying
he/she lies, or he/she is lying
we lie, or we are lying
they lie, or they are lying
past tense:
I lay, or I was lying, or I have lain
you lay, or you were lying, or you have lain
he/she lay, or he/she was lying, or he/she has lain
we lay, or we were lying, or we have lain
they lay, or they were lying, or they have lain
Whew!
Happy Teaching!
How to Teach lie, lay, or laid
Teaching lie, lay, and laid to ESL learners can be tricky because these words have similar meanings but are used in different ways. To make it simpler, start by explaining the basic differences between them. “Lie” means to recline or rest in a horizontal position, like “I lie down when I’m tired.” “Lay” means to put or place something down, like “I lay the book on the table.” And “laid” is the past tense of “lay,” used when talking about the action that was completed in the past, like “Yesterday, I laid the book on the table.”
Provide lots of examples and practice exercises so students can get comfortable with using these words correctly in different contexts. Additionally, using visuals or acting out scenarios can help reinforce the concepts and make learning more engaging.
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