Frequently Asked Questions
Grammar
Which is correct: 'a person was laid on the table' or 'a person was lain on the table'?
|
|
People are often perplexed about this group of words. The important thing to remember is that there are two quite separate verbs involved. Lay is the present tense of a verb whose basic meaning is 'place something in a more or less horizontal position', with the past tense and participle laid. Lay is also the past tense of the verb lie; while lain is the past participle. So the proper use is: Lay
Please lay it on the floor (present tense)
She laid the book on the desk (past tense)
They had laid it on the floor (past participle) Lie
Go and lie down (present tense)
She went and lay down (past tense)
The body had lain in the field for some time (past participle) and in the example it must be was laid on the table.
Other questions in this section:How do I know when to put an apostrophe in it's?
If someone is doing a master's degree in the arts is it an MA or a MA?
In the sentence 'It is raining' what is 'it'?
Is 'agenda' singular or plural?
Is 'data' singular or plural?
Is it acceptable to use 'they' instead of 'he' or 'she'?
Should I use a singular or a plural verb with collective nouns such as 'government', 'committee', and 'family'?
Should I write 'a number of people is' or 'a number of people are'?
What are the plurals of 'octopus', 'hippopotamus', 'syllabus'?
What is a split infinitive, and why should I avoid using one?
What is the word for 'the whole is greater than the sum of the parts'?
When should I use 'less', and when should I use 'fewer'?
Which is correct: 'a hotel' or 'an hotel'?
Which is correct: 'a person was laid on the table' or 'a person was lain on the table'?
Which is correct: 'my friend and me' or 'my friend and I'?
Which is the correct spelling: 'oriented' or 'orientated'?
If, after browsing the FAQs, you still can't find the answer to your question then submit your query to the AskOxford Language Query team.
|
Printer Friendly Version
