lying vs lain down

[Offroad]

Dear teachers

Do any of these sentences read well?

I saw a man lain down in the road. He'd hit a horse with his bike.
I saw a man lying in the road. He hit a horse with his bike.

Thank you

 

[Rover_KE]

I saw a man lying in the road. He had hit a horse with his bike.

 

[Offroad]

So, can we assume the use of 'lie down' implies someone lies intentionally?

Many thanks

 

[MikeNewYork]

So, can we assume the use of 'lie down' implies someone lies intentionally?

Many thanks

Often that is the case, but in the case of a man lying in the road after an accident, it would not be the case.

 

[Barb_D]

Perhaps the action "to lie down" is deliberate, but once someone or something is on the ground (or other flat surface), he/she/it is lying. If I drop my clothes on the floor, they just lie there. It annoys my husband that my clothes are always just lying all over the place.

 

[probus]

Lain down is either poetic or archaic, not everyday usage.

 

[Offroad]

Either way, the poor man was rushed to hospital. It was raining heavily - I could barely see him.
Never heard what happened to the horse.

 

[Rover_KE]

Lain down is either poetic or archaic, not everyday usage.

That may be so, but as the past participle of 'lie' (intr), without 'down', 'lain' is alive and well.

'The wreckage of the Titanic has lain at the bottom of the Atlantic since 1912.'

For many other recent examples, students can read more here.

Rover