Heh

[amberdulen]

Okay guys, grammar check.

On his face lay an expression of betrayal.

MS Word thinks that "lay" should be "laid". I think it should be "lay" but I'm never right about choosing between lay/laid/lain. Is MS Word blowing smoke or actually correct?

Comments

[em_h]

I find it an odd and possibly awkward verb choice (but then again I'm reading it out of context -- in context it may be the exact right choice), but anyway grammatically you're right and MS Word is wrong. I think Word is misreading the sentence.

[roadkillroy]

I'ma have to agree on the word choice.

[em_h]

Um, and I hope I was not being offensive by critiquing your verb choice ... I went into editor-brain there, which was not really what you were asking for.

Sorry.

[jd3000]

No, "lay" is right.

-JD

[ketsugami]

Hmm. Is this supposed to be in present tense, or past tense? It's also extra confusing because the sentence is backwards; "an expression of betrayal" is the subject and "his face" is the object.

The confusion is always because there are two very similar words, "to lie" meaning to recline, and "to lay" meaning to put down carefully. In this case the expression of betrayal is the subject, and you want the former verb, so:

Present: "On his face lies an expression of betrayal."
Past: "On his face lay an expression of betrayal."

So you're correct. For reference, "lain" is the past perfect of that verb:

"I have lain on the grass many times."
"On his face had lain an expression of betrayal."

"Laid" is the past tense of "to lay" and is not a conjugation of "to lie."

Ok, that was way too long-winded. Sorry. ^_^;;;;

[cavalorn]

Word is wrong, you are right.

I laid her down in the bonny green grass, sing wack fol de diddle derry buggery-O.

The crown lay on the cushion.