Lay

[Allen165]

"When the solution to a given problem doesn't lay right before our eyes, it is very easy to assume that no solution exists."

The above sentence is from Freakonomics, a New York Times bestseller. The book is very well written, so I'm going to assume "lay" is correct. But why? I would've written "lie."

Thanks!

 

[5jj]

It's incorrect, but many people make that mistake.

 

[Barb_D]

It's not. Lie and lay are probably the most mis-used words by native speakers. (If we used affect and effect more often, it could be those as well, since most people mix those up too.)

 

[Allen165]

Yes, but we're talking about a book that was written by two authors, one of whom is an editor at The New York Times, and proofread by at least one more person. You wouldn't expect such a mistake.

 

[Barb_D]

And yes, it happens.

 

[5jj]

Yes, but we're talking about a book that was written by two authors, one of whom is an editor at The New York Times, and proofread by at least one more person. You wouldn't expect such a mistake.

As Barb said: yes, it happens.

If I had a penny for ever misuse I had read or heard of lay/laid by people one would expect to know better, I could affort to eat out more often.

 

[nyota]

As Barb said: yes, it happens.

If I had a penny for ever misuse I had read or heard of lay/laid by people one would expect to know better, I could affort to eat out more often.

:-D *hides*

 

[SoothingDave]

He'd need a fort to keep all that money safe.

 

[birdeen's call]

"When the solution to a given problem doesn't lay right before our eyes, it is very easy to assume that no solution exists."

The above sentence is from Freakonomics, a New York Times bestseller. The book is very well written, so I'm going to assume "lay" is correct. But why? I would've written "lie."

I haven't read the book, but jugding from the title, I can't rule out the possibility that the problem they are talking about is a want of eggs.

 

[5jj]

I haven't read the book, but jugding from the title,

Having just written of being able to affort something, it is comforting for me to see that I am not the only typo-victim this evening.;-)

 

[birdeen's call]

Having just written of being able to affort something, it is comforting for me to see that I am not the only typo-victim this evening.;-)

I could read my poast a milion times and not notice it. It looked just fine to me.

 

[5jj]

I could read my poast a milion times and not notice it. It looked just fine to me.

That's life. I can't poast about my success in this field, either. :-D

 

[nyota]

I haven't read the book, but jugding from the title, I can't rule out the possibility that the problem they are talking about is a want of eggs.

Having just written of being able to affort something, it is comforting for me to see that I am not the only typo-victim this evening.;-)

I could read my poast a milion times and not notice it. It looked just fine to me.

It's like Christmas only better. I had such a good laugh, thanks! :up:

 

[Barb_D]

All pots and kettles, gather here! We're painting each other black! Because my post was supposed to be "And yet, it happens!"

 

[suman1779]

In my view it happens.

 

[Allen165]

Here's what Garner has to say on "lay" and "lie":

"To use "lay" without a direct object, in the sense of "lie," is nonstandard {I want to lay down} {he was laying in the sun}. But this error is very common in speech -- from the illiterate to the highly educated. In fact, some commentators believe that people make this mistake more often than anyother in the English language. Others claim that it's no longer a mistake -- or even that it never was. But make no mistake: using these verbs correctly is a mark of refinement."

 

[Rover_KE]

That's interesting, Allen.

Here's what Merriem-Webster has to say about it:

Usage Discussion of LAY

Lay has been used intransitively in the sense of “lie” since the 14th century. The practice was unremarked until around 1770; attempts to correct it have been a fixture of schoolbooks ever since. Generations of teachers and critics have succeeded in taming most literary and learned writing, but intransitive lay persists in familiar speech and is a bit more common in general prose than one might suspect. Much of the problem lies in the confusing similarity of the principal parts of the two words. Another influence may be a folk belief that lie is for people and lay is for things. Some commentators are ready to abandon the distinction, suggesting that lay is on the rise socially. But if it does rise to respectability, it is sure to do so slowly: many people have invested effort in learning to keep lie and lay distinct. Remember that even though many people do use lay for lie, others will judge you unfavorably if you do.

Rover