Understanding 'Lay' and 'Lie' Verbs

Emily Brewster from Merriam-Webster explains the difference between the verbs 'lay' and 'lie', highlighting their transitive and intransitive uses. She discusses their principal forms across different tenses and touches on the unrelated verb 'lie' meaning to tell an untruth. The video emphasizes the importance of maintaining these distinctions in English grammar, which have been preserved for 700 years.

What is the main topic discussed in the introduction of the video?

• The history of English grammar

• The role of editors in language

• The verbs 'lay' and 'lie'

• The influence of Latin on English

What is the primary meaning of the verb 'lay'?

• To tell an untruth

• To move on one's own

• To place something down

• To be in a flat position

Which verb requires an object to complete its meaning?

• Both 'lay' and 'lie'

• 'Lay'

• 'Lie'

• Neither 'lay' nor 'lie'

Which verb is intransitive?

• 'Lay'

• 'Lie'

• Both 'lay' and 'lie'

• Neither 'lay' nor 'lie'

What is the past tense form of 'lie' when it means to recline?

• Lay

• Laid

• Lain

• Lied

Which of the following is NOT a form of the verb 'lay'?

• Lain

• Laying

• Laid

• Lay

What is the present participle form of 'lie' when it means to recline?

• Lain

• Laying

• Lying

• Lied

What is the past participle form of 'lay'?

• Lain

• Laid

• Laying

• Lay

Which verb form is used for 'lie' when referring to a completed action of reclining?

• Lay

• Lain

• Lied

• Laying

What is the present tense form of 'lie' when it means to recline?

• Lay

• Lied

• Lie

• Lain