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Quiz about LayLie
Quiz about LayLie

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.
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Author
woofi
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
107,593
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
5985
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 74 (7/10), Guest 68 (10/10), Guest 81 (7/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. It is time for your nap. (Lay/Lie) down on your bed.

Answer: (Lay or lie)
Question 2 of 10
2. When you are finished reading the book, please (lay/lie)it on the coffee table.

Answer: (Lay or lie)
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)
Question 4 of 10
4. How many eggs were (lain/laid) by the chickens last night?

Answer: (Lain or laid)
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)
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


Question 7 of 10
7. Is the following sentence correct? Yesterday afternoon, Margaret laid down for a nap.


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?


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?


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



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quiz
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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