How to Use Lie, Lay and Lied Correctly: A Guide for Academic Writers

How to Use Lie, Lay and Lied Correctly: A Guide for Academic Writers

English is full of challenges for academic and scientific writers. For scholars who speak English as an additional language, mastering grammar and idiom can require significant effort. Yet even native English speakers regularly struggle with certain verbs, especially when those verbs share forms or meanings. Among the most commonly confused—and the most frequently misused in formal writing—are the verbs to lie (to tell a falsehood), to lie (to recline) and to lay (to put something down).

Although these verbs appear simple, their overlapping forms—particularly the identical present tense and confusing past tense structures—make them unusually difficult. Academic writers must use them with care because a small mistake can drastically alter meaning. For example, confusing lay and lie could change the logic of a sentence describing a patient’s position, an experiment setup, or a sequence of events.

This article clarifies the forms, meanings and correct usage of all three verbs to help you avoid errors and strengthen the precision of your writing.

1. The Verb to lie (meaning “to tell a falsehood”)

This verb expresses the act of making an untrue statement. It is always intransitive, meaning it does not take a direct object. You lie, but you cannot “lie something.”

Conjugation of to lie (“to tell a falsehood”)

• Present: I lie, you lie, he/she lies, we lie, they lie
• Past: lied
• Past participle: lied
• Present participle: lying

Examples:

• “The researcher lied about the data.”
• “She is lying about her involvement in the study.”
• “They had lied during the preliminary interview.”

The main confusion arises because the past tense lied resembles a form of the second verb to lie (“to recline”). But that second verb uses lay as its past tense, not lied. Many writers mix them up.

2. The Verb to lie (meaning “to recline”)

This verb is also intransitive: you lie down, but you cannot “lie something” down. This form is commonly used when describing the position of people, animals or objects.

Unfortunately, this version of to lie has irregular forms that differ from the “falsehood” verb—even in the past tense. This is where writers often make mistakes.

Conjugation of to lie (“to recline”)

• Present: lie / lies
• Past: lay
• Past participle: lain
• Present participle: lying

Examples:

• “The patient lies on the examination table.”
• “Yesterday, he lay on the recovery bed for two hours.”
• “She has lain there since the procedure.”
• “They were lying in the observation room.”

Incorrect: “He has lied down.” Correct: “He has lain down.”

Incorrect: “He lied down yesterday.” Correct: “He lay down yesterday.”

These errors are extremely common—even in published academic work—but they undermine the professionalism of formal writing.

3. The Verb to lay (meaning “to set something down”)

This verb is transitive, meaning it requires a direct object. You must “lay something.” If there is no object in the sentence, the verb to lay is almost certainly incorrect.

Conjugation of to lay (“to put something down”)

• Present: lay / lays
• Past: laid
• Past participle: laid
• Present participle: laying

Examples:

• “I lay the files on the desk.”
• “She lays the samples in the incubator each morning.”
• “He laid the apparatus on the bench carefully.”
• “The specimens have been laid on labelled trays.”

The greatest confusion occurs between:

• the past tense of to lie (“to recline”) → lay
• the present tense of to lay (“to put something down”) → lay

This overlap requires careful checking. When in doubt, determine whether the verb has an object:

• No object → the verb is to lie.
• Object present → the verb is to lay.

Why These Verbs Cause So Much Confusion

Even well-educated native speakers struggle with lie and lay because:

• The verbs have similar meanings and identical present-tense forms.
• The past tense of one (lie → lay) matches the present tense of the other (lay → lay).
• Everyday spoken English often uses incorrect forms (e.g., “I’m going to lay down”). Hearing these repeatedly reinforces mistakes.
• Academic writing often involves describing body positions, sample placement, or experimental setups—contexts where these verbs occur frequently.

Reliance on instinct is unreliable. Correct usage requires conscious attention.

How to Avoid Errors in Academic and Scientific Writing

1. Identify whether the verb needs an object

• If the sentence contains an object → use lay.
• If not → use lie (“to recline”).

Examples:

• “The patient lies on the table.” (no object)
• “The surgeon lays the instrument aside.” (object = instrument)

2. Memorise the essential forms

The quickest way to internalise correct usage is to memorise the two patterns:

to lie (recline): lie – lay – lain – lying

to lay (put something down): lay – laid – laid – laying

These two lines alone will help you avoid most errors.

3. Avoid using spoken English as a guide

Colloquial English routinely uses incorrect forms, especially “lay down” instead of “lie down.” Academic writing must follow the formal, correct forms—not informal usage.

4. Proofread for verbs specifically

During editing, search your document for “lay,” “lie,” “lied,” “lain,” and “laid.” Check each instance carefully to confirm it matches the correct meaning and form.

Extended Examples Relevant to Academic Writing

Because academic authors frequently describe methods, procedures and observational detail, correct usage becomes particularly important. Consider the following examples:

In medical and clinical writing

• “Each patient lay supine for 15 minutes before measurement.”
• “The nurse laid the chart at the foot of the bed.”
• “Once the subject had lain still for 30 seconds, imaging began.”

In laboratory and experimental writing

• “The samples were laid on sterile pads to cool.”
• “The device lies horizontally during calibration.”
• “After the specimen lay in solution overnight, analysis commenced.”

In humanities or social science writing

• “The argument lies at the heart of the debate.”
• “The responsibility was laid on the committee.” (figurative)
• “The evidence had lain unnoticed in the archive for decades.”

Conclusion

Precision in verb usage is essential for clear and effective academic communication. Confusion between lie and lay can introduce errors that undermine credibility, obscure meaning or even alter the intended logic of a scholarly argument. By learning the distinct conjugations, identifying whether an object is present and proofreading intentionally, writers can avoid these common pitfalls.

If you want expert help ensuring your grammar, verb usage and scholarly writing are polished and publication-ready, our journal article editing and manuscript editing services can help you refine your work with clarity and confidence.