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Lay/Lie Trivia Quiz

The words "lay" and "lie" seem to give many problems both to English speakers and writers. In this quiz, provide the either "lie" or "lay", in the proper tense. Remember, the general rule is that the verb "to lay" takes an object, but "to lie" does not

A multiple-choice quiz by woofi. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
woofi

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
107,593

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
6036

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

Last 3 plays: George95 (7/10), cardsfan_027 (9/10), Kalibre (8/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. It is time for your nap. (Lay/Lie) down on your bed.

Answer: (Lay or lie)

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. When you are finished reading the book, please (lay/lie)it on the coffee table.

Answer: (Lay or lie)

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. I was so tired last night that I (lay/laid) down at 8:00 p.m. and went right to sleep.

Answer: (Lay or laid)

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. How many eggs were (lain/laid) by the chickens last night?

Answer: (Lain or laid)

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. It amazes me that the chickens had (laid/lain) in the chicken coop for three days and failed to produce a single egg!

Answer: (Laid or lain)

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. George Washington, according to legend, said "I cannot tell a lie, I chopped down the cherry tree." However had he told a whopper, would he have: Hint

lyed?

lay?

lain?

lied?

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Is the following sentence correct? Yesterday afternoon, Margaret laid down for a nap.

Yes

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. From the familiar children's prayer comes this phrase: "Now I lay me down to sleep..." Is "lay" the correct word to use here?

Yes

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. When playing a round of golf, you may hit a ball into the rough and hear someone say he plans to "play it as it lays". Is that correct?

Yes

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Would it be correct to say, "The dog laid itself down between my girlfriend and me."?

Yes

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Most Recent Scores

Dec 17 2024 : George95: 7/10
Dec 14 2024 : cardsfan_027: 9/10
Nov 25 2024 : Kalibre: 8/10
Nov 19 2024 : sadwings: 9/10
Nov 18 2024 : Guest 50: 3/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. It is time for your nap. (Lay/Lie) down on your bed.

Answer: Lie

Lie is the singular imperative form of "to lie". "Lay" requires a direct object.

2. When you are finished reading the book, please (lay/lie)it on the coffee table.

Answer: lay

"Lay" is the present tense of "to lay", and "it", referring to the book, is the direct object.

3. I was so tired last night that I (lay/laid) down at 8:00 p.m. and went right to sleep.

Answer: lay

"Lay" is the past tense of the verb "to lie". I "lie" down now, but I "lay" down yesterday. This particular area is the source of the confusion between the words since this is the point of overlap between the verbs, albeit in different tenses.

4. How many eggs were (lain/laid) by the chickens last night?

Answer: laid

"Laid" is the past participle of "to lay". Like the book in the previous examples, "to lay" takes a direct object, in this case, eggs.

5. It amazes me that the chickens had (laid/lain) in the chicken coop for three days and failed to produce a single egg!

Answer: lain

"Lain" is the past participle of "to lie". In this case, the chickens were not laying eggs, rather they were just lying around doing nothing! There were no eggs produced, and therefore no direct objects.

6. George Washington, according to legend, said "I cannot tell a lie, I chopped down the cherry tree." However had he told a whopper, would he have:

Answer: lied?

Another place that creates a problem is the verb "to lie" when it refers to telling a falsehood. "To Lie (down)" --> had lain; "To Lay (a book)" --> had laid; "To Lie" (tell a lie)" --> had lied.

7. Is the following sentence correct? Yesterday afternoon, Margaret laid down for a nap.

Answer: No

The past tense of "to lie" is lay, the past tense of "to lay" is laid. Again, we are looking for a form of "to lie". The correct sentence should read "Margaret lay down for a nap."

8. From the familiar children's prayer comes this phrase: "Now I lay me down to sleep..." Is "lay" the correct word to use here?

Answer: Yes

Here we have an object, "me", and therefore we are looking for a form of the verb "to lay". In this case we simply use the present tense "lay".

9. When playing a round of golf, you may hit a ball into the rough and hear someone say he plans to "play it as it lays". Is that correct?

Answer: No

It should be "play it as is lies" since there is no direct object.

10. Would it be correct to say, "The dog laid itself down between my girlfriend and me."?

Answer: Yes

"Itself" is a reflexive pronoun and is the object of the verb "to lay". The past tense of "to lay" is "laid" so this phrase is written correctly.

Source: Author woofi

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor thejazzkickazz before going online.
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