Lesson 24, Often confused words - Lie - Lay,  Rise - Raise and more:

LIE and LAY are different words except when they are different forms of the same word.  Is that clear?  Probably not.  Let us explain.

The main cause for the confusion comes from the word LAY, which is the past form of LIE and the present form of LAY.

Here are several examples to get you used to the differences.  Remember, LAY is a transitive verb and must have a direct object.  LIE will not have a direct object.

•  The patient lay on the stretcher for three hours last night.  (past tense of LIE. The patient didn't place anything anywhere, he was just occupying a horizontal position,  so there is no direct object.)
•  The doctor laid his instruments on the steel table.  (past tense of LAY.  The doctor placed his instruments on the table so instruments is the direct object.)
•  The hospital gown was lying on the bed.  (present participle of LIE.  The gown did not place anything anywhere; it was just located on the bed.  There is no direct object.)
•  The orderly was laying the dirty laundry in the cart.  (present participle of LAY.  Orderly was laying laundry;  laundry is the direct object.)
• My brother lies in bed until noon every Saturday.  ( present tense of LIE.  My brother does not place anything anywhere, he just lies there himself.  There is no direct object.)
• My brother lays the book on the night stand when he is finished reading.  (present tense of LAY.  Brother lays book.  Book is the direct object.)
• My tennis racket has lain in the closet for years.  ( past participle of LIE. The racket is not doing anything but remaining in one place.  There is no direct object.)
• Martina had laid her tennis racket on the bench, but it was not there now.  (past participle of LAY.  Martina had laid racket.  Racket is the direct object.)

The situation with RISE and RAISE is the same:  RISE is intransitive and will not have a direct object.  The subject simply does the action on its own.  RAISE is a transitive verb and must have a direct object. 

• The temperature rises in the summer. (no direct object)
• My mother always raises the windows in the car.  (windows is the direct object)
• The crowd was rising from their seats as the game neared its end.  (no direct object)
• The people were raising their voices in anger.  (voices is the direct object)
• Everyone in the courtroom rose when the judge walked in.  ( no direct object)
• The witness raised his right hand to be sworn in.  (hand is the direct object)
• The moon had risen like a huge orange balloon.  (no direct object)
• I have raised chickens in West Virginia.   (chickens is the direct object)

The following words will only receive a brief comment: STATIONERY - STATIONARY.

• STATIONERY:  paper supplies; stuff you write on; writing paper, envelopes, tablets; any or all of these items are called stationery, with an -ERY at the end.  This is the only use for this word.
• STATIONARY:  not moving; remaining in one place; not appearing to move.

How can you remember which is which?  Paper ends with -ER and STATIONERY ends with -ERY.

A word that we have heard misused many times and one that really irritates us is MEMENTO.  We have heard radio newscasters, television personalities and people on the street say MOMENTO when they mean MEMENTO.  What is the difference?

• MEMENTO: something to remember by; a souvenir.  "That ugly rock is a memento of our trip to the mountains."
• MOMENTO: This word does not exist.  It means nothing.
• MOMENTOUS:  This is a word that means important, weighty, of significant importance.  "The first landing on the moon was a momentous event in the history of our country."

Got it?

Another frequently misused word is IRREGARDLESS.  Probably 99% of the time this word is used, the speaker actually means REGARDLESS.

• REGARDLESS: Without regard or heed; negligent; careless.  "Regardless of the consequences, Melvin jumped from the roof."
• IRREGARDLESS: does not exist.  It is a non-word.  If it did exist, it would mean the opposite of REGARDLESS because the prefix IR means NOT, so IRREGARDLESS would mean Not without regard, or Not careless.

Exercise A: Circle the correct word inside the parentheses (  ) in the following sentences.

1. Harry was told to (raise) (rise) the flag before school.

2. All of the newspapers from last week were (lying) (laying) on the porch.

3. Melissa left work early, (regardless) (irregardless) of her boss's orders.

4. Many teenagers keep the ticket stubs from a concert as a (momento) (memento) of the event.

5. The hunters remained (stationery) (stationary) as the deer stepped into the field.

Exercise B:  Cross out the incorrect words in the following sentences.  Write the correct word above the wrong one.

1. Julia's only momento of the trip to the beach was a broken shell.

2. The horse lay in his stall all day yesterday swishing flies with his tail.

3. The policeman told Gino to lay his gun on the ground.

4. Irregardless of the coming storm, the Boy Scouts rose their tents so they could lay in them when it rained.

5. Mark had planned to write to his girlfriend, but he had forgotten to buy stationary.

6. The stew had laid in the refrigerator so long that white fuzzy stuff was growing on it.

7. We lay on our backs watching the balloons  raise into the sky.

8. Regardless of the difficulties it would cause, Frank took the ashtray that was laying on the counter as a memento.

9. Marie knew she was a stationery target for the mosquitoes that were rising from the pond.

10. The tropical fish I raised rose from the bottom of the aquarium to gobble the food that lay on the water.

Examination:  Choose the correct word from the pair in  parentheses and write the correct form of that word on the line in the sentence.

1.  (lie, lay)  The worker was _______________ the new tiles for the kitchen floor.

2. (lie, lay)  The old Army jacket had ____________ in the trunk in the attic for many years.

3. (memento, momentous) My wedding day was one of the most ___________________ days of my life.

4. (raise, rise)  Anna and her sister have _____________ geese for the county fair each year.

5. (regardless, irregardless)  Nick was going to fill his gas tank ___________________ of the high prices.

6. (stationery, stationary)  After standing in the checkout line for an hour, Sarah finally paid for her _______________.

7. (rise, raise)  Arnold watched as the bubbles _______________ from his diving mask.

8. (lie, lay)  The mother wolf ______________ the dead rabbit in front of her cubs.

9. (memento, momento)  Linda's favorite _______________ from the Senior Prom is the corsage her date had given her.

10. (raise, rise)  The pilot said we would take off after the fog had _______________ from the runway.

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