{"id":12032,"date":"2012-06-13T09:00:01","date_gmt":"2012-06-13T16:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=12032"},"modified":"2012-06-27T11:59:18","modified_gmt":"2012-06-27T18:59:18","slug":"gmat-sentence-correction-lie-vs-lay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/gmat-sentence-correction-lie-vs-lay\/","title":{"rendered":"GMAT Sentence Correction: Lie vs. Lay"},"content":{"rendered":"

Untangle the most confusing pair of verbs in the English language!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

To begin, a SC question from the Official Guide: question #95 from the OG13e (#96 in the OG 12e):<\/p>\n

95) One of the primary distinctions\u00a0between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but\u00a0in our ability to extend knowledge gained in one context to new and different ones.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but<\/li>\n
  2. between our intelligence with that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill instead<\/li>\n
  3. between our intelligence and that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill as<\/li>\n
  4. our intelligence has from that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill as<\/li>\n
  5. of our intelligence to that of other primates may lay not in any specific skill but<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    You may want to ponder this before reading this post.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Lie vs. Lay<\/h2>\n

    Probably fewer than 5% of the general population really understand the difference between \u201cto lie\u201d and \u201cto lay.\u201d\u00a0 This perplexing pair can make an appearance on 700+ GMAT Sentence Correction questions.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the full story.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    To Lie<\/h2>\n

    First of all, this verb is intransitive: that is to say, it does not take a direct object.\u00a0 This verb, \u201cto\u00a0lie\u201d means literally, \u201cto recline\u201d, as in \u201cThis afternoon, I will lie on the couch.\u201d\u00a0 By extension, it means \u201cto be located\u201d, and is often used to describe metaphorical landscapes: for example, \u201cHer greatest strength lies in her prodigious memory.\u201d\u00a0 So far, relatively straightforward.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    To Lay<\/h2>\n

    This verb is transitive: that is to say, it regularly takes a direct object, and doesn\u2019t really make sense without one.\u00a0 This verb, \u201cto lay\u201d, means \u201cto put or place, to put down\u201d, as it \u201cLay that book on the table\u201d, or \u201cThe workers will lay asphalt after the sewer pipes are installed.\u201d\u00a0 This one lends itself to metaphorical use far less frequently than does \u201cto lie,\u201d though one may \u201clay down one\u2019s burden of cares.\u201d\u00a0 Notice: both literal and metaphorical uses take a direct object.\u00a0 So far, so good.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    The Mindbender: The Past Tense.<\/h2>\n

    The past tense of \u201cto lay\u201d is \u201claid\u201d, and the past participle is \u201claid.\u201d\u00a0 Today, I lay the books on the table.\u00a0 Yesterday, I laid the books on the table.\u00a0 I had laid the books on the table before I knew she wanted to set the table.<\/p>\n

    Now, here\u2019s the one that blows people\u2019s mind, because it is an example of the English language at its most bizarre.\u00a0 The past tense of \u201cto lie\u201d is \u201clay.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s right.\u00a0 One the principle reasons folks confuse these two verbs is because the present tense of one is identical to the past tense of the other.\u00a0\u00a0 The past tense of \u201cto lie\u201d is \u201clay\u201d and past participle is \u201clain.\u201d\u00a0 Today, I\u00a0lie\u00a0down.\u00a0 Yesterday, I\u00a0lay\u00a0down.\u00a0 Yesterday morning, I\u00a0had lain\u00a0on the bed before washed the sheets.\u00a0 The greatest contributions of the ancient Roman Empire\u00a0lay\u00a0in architecture and law.<\/p>\n

    The problem is, people see the sentence \u201cI\u00a0lay\u00a0down\u201d or any of these sentences with past tense \u201clay\u201d and instead of correctly understanding it as the past tense of the verb \u201cto lie\u201d, they confuse \u201cto lay\u201d with \u201cto lie.\u201d\u00a0 For example, Faulkner has a novel entitled\u00a0As I\u00a0LayDying<\/em>, and I am sure very few people understand that statement as in the past tense.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    A Bit of Prevarication<\/h2>\n

    It may also add to the general confusion that the verb \u201cto lie\u201d (to recline) has a perfect homonym in the verb \u201cto lie\u201d (to tell an untruth).\u00a0 Fortunately, this latter verb is perfectly regular \u2014 past tense \u201clied\u201d and past participle \u201clied\u201d \u2014 so it doesn\u2019t contribute anything to the lie-lay miasma, except by indirect association, viz.: Right now, she lies to us about whether he lies down.\u00a0 Yesterday, she lied to us about whether he lay down.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    The explanation of the OG question<\/h2>\n

    Now, as an example of a GMAT SC questions exploiting the lie\/lay confusion, once again we have question #95 from the OG13e (#96 in the OG 12e):<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    95) One of the primary distinctions\u00a0between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but\u00a0in our ability to extend knowledge gained in one context to new and different ones.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. between our intelligence with that of other primates may\u00a0lay<\/strong>\u00a0not so much in any specific skill but<\/li>\n
    2. between our intelligence with that of other primates may\u00a0lie<\/strong>\u00a0not so much in any specific skill instead<\/li>\n
    3. between our intelligence with that of other primates may\u00a0lie<\/strong>\u00a0not so much in any specific skill as<\/li>\n
    4. our intelligence has from that of other primates may\u00a0lie<\/strong>\u00a0not so much in any specific skill as<\/li>\n
    5. of our intelligence to that of other primates may\u00a0lay<\/strong>\u00a0not in any specific skill but<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      First of all, we are talking about where this distinction is \u201clocated\u201d in the metaphorical landscape of intelligence, so we need a form of the verb \u201cto lie\u2019, not a form of the verb \u201cto lay.\u201d\u00a0 Furthermore, the entire sentence is in the present tense, so we need \u201cmay lie\u201d, not \u201cmay lay.\u201d\u00a0 Thus, (A) & (E) are out right away.<\/p>\n

      Also, two important idioms.\u00a0 The first: \u201cdistinction\u00a0between\u00a0X\u00a0and\u00a0Y\u201d is the correct idiom, not \u201cdistinction between X from Y\u201d,\u201d nor \u201cdistinction X has from Y,\u201d nor \u201cdistinction of X to Y.\u201d\u00a0 Only (C) has the correct idiom.<\/p>\n

      The second idiom: \u201cnot so much P\u00a0as\u00a0Q\u201d is correct, not \u201cnot so much P but Q,\u201d nor \u201cnot so much P instead Q.\u201d\u00a0 Only (C) & (D) get this idiom right.\u00a0 Overall, the only answer totally correct and free of errors on all counts is answer choice (C).<\/p>\n

      Notice also: the one SC questions that explicitly addresses the \u201clie\u201d\/\u201dlay\u201d distinction happens to be about the nature of human intelligence itself.\u00a0 Coincidence or not? \u00a0\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Conclusion<\/h2>\n

      If you understand the \u201clie\u201d\/\u201dlay\u201d distinction, you understand one of the finest points of grammar, one that is utterly lost on the vast majority of the population, including most of your fellow GMAT takers.\u00a0 The secret of a truly elite performance on GMAT Sentence Correction lies in mastering grammar points as precise and as subtle as this one.<\/p>\n

      This post was written by Mike McGarry, GMAT expert at\u00a0Magoosh<\/a>, and originally posted\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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