Lay and lie are two words often interchanged mistakenly in business grammar.
Lay means “to place.” Lie, as a verb, means “to recline or tell an untruth.”
Lie, as a noun, means a falsehood.
Lie, as a noun is generally clear, but the verb lie and the verb lay can be confusing.
Lay (principal parts: lay, laid, laying) means “to put” or “to place” and needs an object to complete its meaning:
Lie (principal parts: lie, lay, lain, lying) means “recline, rest, or stay.”
It can refer to either a person or thing as assuming or being in a reclining position. The verb “lie” cannot take an object:
Here is an easy tip to check your use of these verbs: substitute the word “place, placed, or placing (depending on grammar structure.) If the substitute fits, lay is correct. If not, use lie.
To test this:
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