Confusing Verbs: Lay / Lie ANSWER KEY

Confusing Verbs: Lay / Lie ANSWER KEY
Irregular Verb
TRANSITIVE - needs object Irregular Verb
INTRANSITIVE - no object Regular Verb
INTRANSITIVE - no object
(to put something down)
lay - laid - laid - laying (to rest or recline on a bed or sofa)
lie - lay - lain -lying (to tell a lie)
lie - lied - lied - lying
Maris must lay dishes on the table for dinner.
Maris has laid the table many times.
Now she's laying some napkins there.
She laid the forks on the table earlier. Don likes to lie on the sofa.
He's lying on the sofa now.
He's lain there for an hour.
He lay there all day yesterday too. Patty lies to her mom all the time.
She is lying to her mom now.
She's lied to her mom many times.
She lied to her yesterday too.
Read the sentences and choose the correct answer:

1) The cat is ____ on the rug, next to the chair. B) lying
2) The cat often ____ on the rug when Marsha reads. B) lies
3) This cat has ____ here many times. B) lain
4) In fact, just last night he ____ here too while Marsha read. B) lay

5) Chickens ___ eggs. A) lay
6) The average hen ____ over 200 eggs per year. (hen = female chicken) A) lays
7) Do you think that ___ eggs hurts the hen? A) laying

8) Bobby: "Where is my dictionary?"
Cindy: "I ____ it on the desk over there." A) laid
9) Ann: Look in the dictionary and tell me where Mexico is please.
Steve: OK. Ah! Mexico ____ to the south of the United States. B) lies

10) Frank: I found 500 pennies ____ on the floor! B) lying
11) Pete: I don't believe you! You are always ____ to me. B) lying
12) Frank: I don't always ____ to you. I told you the truth yesterday. B) lie




Confusing Verbs: Lay / Lie (Continued) ANSWER KEY


13) The police officers told the robbers to ____ down in the street. B) lie
14) So, the robbers ____ down slowly on the road. B) lay
15) The robbers have been caught before, and they have ____ in the street before, too! B) lain
16) Later today, the robbers will be ____ on a bed in the local jail. B) lying

17) Peter and Jan sell carpeting.
Today, they spent the whole day ____ carpeting in a big house. A) laying
18) The carpet in my house isn't new.
It has probably ___ here for 20 years! B) lain

19) Maris caught a cold. She ___ in bed for a week. B) lay
20) She really hated ____ in bed coughing and sniffling. B) lying
21) She had never ____ in bed for a whole week before. B) lain

22) The teacher asked the students to ____ their pencils on their desks. A) lay
23) So the students ____ their pencils down. A) laid

24) Many native English speakers have problems with lay and lie too.
I'm telling you the truth - I'm not ____! B) lying
25) You are finished with this quiz, so you can ____ down and take a nap now! I hope your headache goes away soon! :-) B) lie