lay

«lay» in Mova's school dictionary: to put something down carefully, often flat: «lay the… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

verb (lay, lays, laid, laying); also the past of «lie» (lie, lay, lain)

meaning for a pupil

1) To lay is to put something down carefully, often flat: «lay the baby in the cot». tree →

2) A hen lays an egg when the egg comes out of her body. tree →

3) To lay the table is to put out plates, knives and forks for a meal. tree →

4) To lay bricks or carpet is to put them in place. tree →

5) «Lay» is also the past form of «lie» (to rest flat): «He lay on the grass». tree →

6) Lay can also mean to bet, so "I lay she is loaded" means "I bet she is loaded." tree →

sense in the lessons

In school maths: hens laying eggs at a rate (eggs per hen per day); laying bricks or tiles at a rate. In science: birds, reptiles, fish and insects lay eggs. In everyday life: lay the table for dinner. Phrases: «lay the table», «lay eggs», «lay down», «lay off» (stop), «lay out» (arrange).

examples

• Each hen lays 1 egg a day. tree →
• 5 hens lay how many eggs in a week? tree →
• He lays 40 bricks an hour. tree →
• She laid 6 plates on the table. tree →
• Please lay the table for dinner. tree →
• Turtles lay their eggs in the sand. tree →
• He lay on the grass and looked at the clouds. tree →
• Lay your coat on the bed. tree →
• "Well, I lay she's loaded, boss. tree →

note

Past «laid» (not «layed»). «Lay» needs a thing (lay the book down); «lie» does not (lie down). The past of «lie» is «lay», which causes mix-ups. Maths: usually a rate that adds up over time: hens × eggs each × days. Trap: «lay» is also the past of «lie»; the meaning is in the sentence.

In the corpora

• You do not have to feel sad about a famous person you never knew; the people laying flowers knew their songs or films.
• She whispers to her mum that the girls watched a scary film and she lay awake till three, listening to every creak.
• Some sharks and rays lay eggs in leathery cases called mermaid's purses, while other sharks give birth to live pups.
• Crocodiles lay eggs in nests; the mother guards them and carries the hatchlings to water in her mouth.
• Many female sea turtles come back to lay eggs on the beach where they hatched; scientists think they remember its magnetic signature.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «lay» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.