Sunday, September 23, 2007

Coffee with Grammar

At five AM I sit with my "dover" coffee  (Warm Dover, get it?) and contemplate the correct grammar for the next statement.

1. I have laid awake all night.  INCORRECT

2. I have lain awake all night   MY PREFERENCE

3. I have lay awake all night. INCORRECT

4. I have lied awake all night.INCORRECT

5. I laid awake all night   INCORRECT

6. I lain awake all night. INCORRECT

7. I lay awake all night   OKAY

8. I lied awake all night. TELLING FIBS?

Go back and use your cursor to find the one I consider correct.

Anyway as I (laid,lied,lay) awake, that grammar problem kept going over and over in my mind. Alas. Next time I'll try counting sheep.

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8 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2007 at 5:47 AM

    I got it right!

    Krissy :)
    http://journals.aol.com/fisherkristina/SometimesIThink

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2007 at 5:57 AM

    I chose what you did Chuck. So how could it be wrong LOL. Helen

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2007 at 6:52 AM

    Oh hell Chuck, I was up all night also!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2007 at 8:18 AM

    Good Morning Chuck I agree with you. Sorry to hear you had a bad night for the first time in weeks I slept like a log I suppose that will be it now for another month or so. Hope you have a better night tonight. Love Joan.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2007 at 3:05 PM

        I chose the same answer you did. Still, lay and lie and the difference always screwed me up. I like what the grammar technicians say about it in Writers Digest. It is such a silly matter that the day will come when it will be obsolete.
    Jude
    http://journals.aol.com/jmorancoyle/MyWay

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2007 at 6:34 PM

    I prefer the simple past over the participle - unless you say it while still lying in bed. - Karen

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2007 at 7:55 AM

    It may be the difference in our browsers but I can't get mind to work here.

    Not with your quizzes and not with this.  I'll never know if I was correct or not.

    I lay is simple but I'd probably say I have lain.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2007 at 11:21 AM

    Your preference was mine.  Are we correct?  LOL
    http://journals.aol.com/valphish/ThereisaSeason

    ReplyDelete