It’s been awhile since I managed to post something on my blog, so I’ll send out this little piece on a whim:
Allow me to vent a grammarphobe’s pet peeve. Let me lay it down before you.
Not only print media but also radio and television announcers and reporters regularly misuse the verb “lay.” Everyday speech is full of it.
“I just want to lay down,” says a friend, and I bite my tongue and try to keep myself from asking what she is going to lay down.
“I’m so tired I could lay here all day.” What will you be laying and will you not become weary with all your laying?
“They found her laying in a ditch full of muddy water.” Bad enough they should find her there, but what was she laying?
The verb “lay” must always have an object. For example, “My chickens lay EGGS every day.”
If you’re tired, then by all means “lie” down, but do not attempt to lay. We’re just not made for it.