How can I remember the difference between "lay" and "laid"?

Question

I often confuse *lay* and *laid*. For instance, in selecting the appropriate word in these contexts:> She lay/laid a hand on his arm. He lay/laid across the bench lazily. We lay/laid down our heavy load.Is there a common mnemonic for remembering which to use, and when?

Answer 1

"Lay" is normally a transitive verb---meaning that it has a subject and an object. "Laid" is the past tense of Lay.

Example: Please lay your clothes on the bed. OR I laid my clothes on the bed

By contrast, "Lie" is intransitive, meaning that it has no object.

Example: I lie on the bed

Or: He lies

Or: He is lying

Past tense: He was lying, or he lied.

But, you would not say "I lied on the bed"--I think it is correct to say I lay on the bed, and I was lying on the bed.