Page 603 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

The turtle lay upside down in the middle of the highway, unable
to right itself.

verb

I have lain on that soft couch for too long; now my back is

aching.

verb

The flashlight was lying on the mantel where Kaya had left it.

Practice 12-8 Using Lay and Lie

Underline the correct verb forms in the following paragraph.

Before the sun rose, Martin went out to pick up the newspaper that
1
was (laying, lying) in his driveway. Because it was dark, he did not
2
even see the small shape that (laid, lay) in the street just past
3
his mailbox. Inside the house, he (lay, laid) the paper on the
kitchen counter, fixed a bowl of cereal for himself, and opened a can

of food for his Golden Retriever, Bart. But when he went to the back

door to call Bart, the dog did not come. “He must have jumped the
4
fence again,” Martin thought. “I’ll have to (lay, lie) down the law

to that crazy dog.” But when Martin pulled out of his driveway to go
5 6
to work, he saw Bart (laying, lying) beside the road. The dog (lay,
laid) so still that Martin thought he was dead. As he bent down,

7
Martin heard a soft whine, so he picked the dog up and gently (lay,