Laying it down

[Benjamin Barrett]

I say write down all three with analogues like "I saw John ate his sandwich." That'll save the other kids from potentially getting marked down for what are actually correct answers.

Aloha from Maui
Benjamin Barrett

On Sep 19, 2012, at 9:12 AM, Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU> wrote:

>
> My ten-year-old grandson discussed an English assignment with me--addressing the (well-nigh obsolete) "lie" vs. "lay" distinction.  Specifically, the exercise called for the completion of sentences with either "lie, "lay," "lain," or "lying" or else "lay," "laid," or "laying."
>
> The sentence in question was "I saw John _______ his book down."  Assuming that there must exist a single "right" answer, it isn't clear whether that answer should be "lay" (which my grandson had chosen) or "laying."  I endeavored to explain that both sentences would be fully grammatical (with shades of difference in meaning).  But I wondered if the "laying" version would be preferred by the exercise-deviser, since "laying" results in a less "complex" sentence?  It's even possible to understand "I saw John laid his book down" as a grammatical sentence.
>
> Happy not to be in the fourth grade,
>
> Charlie

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