What emotions and thoughts occupy your mind when you lie awake at night?

[alpacinou]

Is it correct to say "thoughts and emotions occupy" a person's mind? Is this good?

What were your feelings as your head met the pillow last night? And in general, what emotions and thoughts occupy your mind when you lay awake at night?

 

[jutfrank]

What item of vocabulary are you practising here?

 

[alpacinou]

What item of vocabulary are you practising here?

An idea came to me in my mother tongue and I wanted to see if I can express it in English and I want to see if I've used the correct terms. Specifically, I want to know if it's correct to say "thoughts and emotions occupy" a person's mind. But I'd like to know if the rest is correct and natural as well.

 

[jutfrank]

So you want to translate a sentence from Farsi into English?

Who do you imagine asking this to? Who's speaking? Is it meant to be written or spoken English?

Please stop asking if things are 'correct'. You're way beyond that now.

 

[alpacinou]

Who do you imagine asking this to? Who's speaking? Is it meant to be written or spoken English?

A person is asking it from their friend in a friendly conversation.

 

[jutfrank]

A person is asking it from their friend in a friendly conversation.

Well, then I'd say it's highly unnatural in that it doesn't sound conversational in the least. Have you ever had a conversation like this? Do you think you'd ask somebody to answer two questions at once in an informal chat with a friend?

It sounds like a therapist speaking or something like that. And it seems to be written language, not spoken.

 

[5jj]

And in general, what emotions and thoughts occupy your mind when you lay awake at night?

You lay awake last night.
You lie awake generally.

 

[alpacinou]

Well, then I'd say it's highly unnatural in that it doesn't sound conversational in the least. Have you ever had a conversation like this? Do you think you'd ask somebody to answer two questions at once in an informal chat with a friend?

It sounds like a therapist speaking or something like that. And it seems to be written language, not spoken.

Okay, if a therapist were asking from a person, would it work?

What were your feelings as your head met the pillow last night? And in general, what emotions and thoughts occupy your mind when you lie awake at night?

If this was a friendly, conversation, how would it be expressed?

 

[Tarheel]

That's good enough for me, but I probably wouldn't phrase it that way. (See below.)

Ron: I was up all night. I couldn't get to sleep at all.
Don: What kept you up? What were you thinking about?

 

[Skrej]

5jj has already corrected your usage of 'lie' vs 'lay', but the easiest way to remember the difference is that 'lay' always requires a direct object (transitive). 'Lie' (meaning 'recline) ) never has a direct object (intransitive).

The two are widely misused even by native speakers. Since they're both irregular and with the past tense of 'lie' (meaning 'recline') being 'lay', it's easy to mix them up.

lie-lay-lain
lay-laid-laid

The verb 'lie' meaning to speak an untruth is an intransitive regular verb.

Eric Clapton even misused them in "Lay Down Sally". Since he's talking to Sally herself, he should be imploring her to "lie down and rest in his arms". Otherwise it's an instruction for someone else to place Sally in his arms.

There's not even a good lyrical reason to use 'lay' since they're the same syllable length and he's not trying to rhyme anything. Clapton co-wrote the song with two other people, so they all botched the grammar.