Alas, Another Incorrect Verb

Panel 2. You know what she should say, right? See below.

“Laying” is transitive! You need a direct object! You lay something on something (or somewhere), such as lay your body on the bed. No thing to lay, then it’s “lying.” That’s the truth!!!

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Another one of my hobbyhorses.

• Present and future tense of “lay” is transitive. It takes a direct object. You lay something down.
• “Lie” is intransitive. He wants the dogs to lie down.

“Lay” is transitive. You lay something, such as book onto a table. “Lie” is intransitive, you just do it. Here’s a dog getting it wrong; second panel:

I won’t discuss the flea unwisely using a false subject (look it up in the search box).

Harrumpf.

I hope I don’t need to tell you that “Here lies” is the correct form.

First panel. What are the hens doing? Laying or lying?

The hen says “lay.” But is she referring to laying eggs or being passive and lying in their nests? Maybe the author is wrong; maybe he’s presenting the hen as somewhat illiterate.

Don’t you be illiterate!