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Post by jenjie on Dec 4, 2015 2:30:40 GMT
I tell my kids, lie means to recline - lie, recline both have long "i" sounds. Lay means to place - lay, place have long "a" sounds. That seems to have helped them (and me) to remember the rules. Until past tense stuff pops up and then we google. Ha! Seriously why do I not know this? I like to think I do pretty well with grammar. And someone will mention that I should have said I do pretty good with grammar. I don't know that one either. So is "now I lay me down to sleep" incorrect or is it right because you're laying down an object (me)?
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kate
Drama Llama
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Jun 26, 2014 3:30:05 GMT
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Post by kate on Dec 4, 2015 3:33:30 GMT
Exactly, jenjie - that prayer is correct because "me" is the object. I use that prayer to remember which is correct.
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Post by worrywart on Dec 4, 2015 3:44:35 GMT
Someone called in about this on that word show on NPR last week. The hosts said that correct lie/lay usage is fading out of correct English as many words and usages cycle out over the years..It was interesting hearing them talk about this! The person who had called in was upset over incorrect usage and one of the hosts agreed (the other was glad he didn't like remembering when to use lay/lie lol).
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suzastampin
Pearl Clutcher
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Jun 28, 2014 14:32:59 GMT
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Post by suzastampin on Dec 4, 2015 4:06:10 GMT
I shall NEVER cave!!! Nor shall I! Sadly, bad grammar has crept up on us. On tv, so many times, I hear "you and me" instead of "you and I", and it drives me nuts. One would think they would look it up if they are unsure.
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kate
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Post by kate on Dec 4, 2015 4:12:22 GMT
suzastampin - I hear the opposite all the time! "Between he and I..." ARRGH! Somehow people think it sounds better than the correct "between him and me."
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janeliz
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I'm the Wiz and nobody beats me.
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Jun 26, 2014 14:35:07 GMT
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Post by janeliz on Dec 4, 2015 4:12:46 GMT
I'm now quietly singing "lay lady, lay...lay across my big brass bed" to myself.
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Post by HelenaJole on Dec 4, 2015 6:35:27 GMT
Chickens can also lie. And people can lay. (I'm reminded of the line in Please Don't Eat the Daisies where a son, when told not to lie on the new bedspread, responds, "I will always tell the truth on this bedspread!) I see lay for lie a lot, but The Name of the Wind used it the other way around, which was weird. Like, "I paused to lie my cloak across the back of the chair." Eeek.
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anniebygaslight
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Jun 28, 2014 14:08:19 GMT
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Post by anniebygaslight on Dec 4, 2015 7:28:04 GMT
I lie in bed, dogs lie down, hens lay and my job when I was a nipper was to lay the table.
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Post by jenjie on Dec 4, 2015 10:49:42 GMT
Exactly, jenjie - that prayer is correct because "me" is the object. I use that prayer to remember which is correct. Hah! This will be a hard habit to unlearn.
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Dalai Mama
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Jun 26, 2014 0:31:31 GMT
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Post by Dalai Mama on Dec 4, 2015 11:11:28 GMT
Chickens can also lie. And people can lay. (I'm reminded of the line in Please Don't Eat the Daisies where a son, when told not to lie on the new bedspread, responds, "I will always tell the truth on this bedspread!) I see lay for lie a lot, but The Name of the Wind used it the other way around, which was weird. Like, "I paused to lie my cloak across the back of the chair." Eeek. As you were the first person to teach me the difference, I'm happy to see you here HelenaJole.
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Post by olbrwneyedgirl on Dec 4, 2015 13:46:03 GMT
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Deleted
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May 2, 2024 9:22:08 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2015 15:11:57 GMT
Is it one of those grammar rules that is sort of caving in to common usage? Grammar rules do not "cave." Illiterate people simply don't adhere to them. Grammar rules surely do cave. Language evolves. You don't speak the same type of English that people spoke 200, or even 100 years ago, and that's fine. Words come, go and change meaning.
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Post by HelenaJole on Dec 4, 2015 16:24:18 GMT
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Dec 4, 2015 16:27:39 GMT
Okay... okay... point well taken. Touche.
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freebird
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Jun 25, 2014 20:06:48 GMT
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Post by freebird on Dec 4, 2015 16:31:02 GMT
I'm probably guilty of this one. Sorry. I also know for a fact I sometimes say "was" when I should be saying "were" sorry again.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Dec 4, 2015 16:31:11 GMT
I admit this is one word where I do it wrong all the time. My dog responds to lay down too. I usually make an effort to have correct grammar but this one is a stickler for me.
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