Anyone good at grammar please answer this debate!!?

Question

Hi there, just having a debate at work & wondered if somebody could help. Which of these sentences is the correct one:

A wealth of attractions lay on our doorstep.

OR

A wealth of attractions lie on our doorstep.

We can't decide if it is Lay or Lie so please help.

Thanks

Answer 1

Both are correct depending on the context. The first statement is in the past tense. The second is in the present tense.

Answer 2

both

'lay' would be more commonly used in past tense/imperfect tense etc...

'lie' would be used for present tense more often that not

Charis (answerer above ^^^) got it right first

Answer 3

well if you're talking about the present - lie (somewhere you are currently)

If you're talking about the past - lay (somewhere you were)

Answer 4

Why do so many people bother speaking about the irrelevant past tense?

Lie is correct, and lay is not.

In this context, lay is a transitive verb and lie is intransitive. In other words, lay requires a direct object, and lie requires that there be no direct object. Since there is no direct object here, lie is correct.

Lay would only be correct with a direct object, such as people lay attractions at our doorstep.

Lie is intransitive, and is correct where attractions have been laid (transitive) at our doorstep, by the city and such, and as a result they currently lie at our doorstep.

Answer 5

It's lie.

In the present tense, lay means to put or place something, as in "lay your head on your pillow" and "lay a baby down for a nap".

Lie indicates reclining - in your case, metaphorically - as in "lying in bed".

Hope that helps! :o)

Answer 6

I think it's 'lie'... but I could be wrong!

Answer 7

it is lay =]

trust me =D

Answer 8

Lie. Lay is the past tense, so they've gone. "To lay" is a different verb altogether. I lay the table but I lie down. "To lie" means to lay oneself, so I can say, "I lay myself on the bed", or, "I lie on the bed." Both are present tense but "to lay oneself" is rather awkward and unlikely to be used. Also, "I lay myself..." can be past tense, thus another reason not to say it is possible ambiguity.

There is a lot of confusion over this and many people do use "lay" in error, partly because the past tense of "to lie" is "lay", while the past tense of "to lay" is "laid".

"To lie", meaning "to fib" is unrelated and almost regular, that is the past tense is "lied".

Answer 9

Past tense would be lay - so if you are saying "ah, when we were young a wealth of attractions lay on our doorstep"

Present tense would be lie - "We are lucky, for a wealth of attractions lie on our doorstep"

Answer 10

A wealth of attractions lie on our doorstep...

When u use lay...it means to put something..above another thing and since WEALTH OF ATTRACTIONS is an abstract noun therefore u could not use lay there..

example:

Please lay my bag on the table..

Here lies the body of (name)..

*sumthing like that*

Answer 11

ever heard of a dictionary???? lay your hands on !

Answer 12

lies

and

"wealth" is uncountable, can't use "a" with it

Answer 13

Its lie on our doorstep. Hope this helps. Curious to know how it came up lol

Answer 14

Surely it is LAY! Because the subject of your sentence (A wealth of attractions) is singular. Then, in the second sentence, the present verb must be "LIES", not LIE! Then, the correct answer is the first sentence which has a past-tense verb (that is LAY).

Answer 15

Both are wrong. It should read Our doorstep is littered with a wealth of attractions. Just kidding.

Answer 16

I'm so confused! I have a feeling that it's the second one.

Answer 17

lay

Answer 18

The first one is simply the past tense of 'lie'. Both are correct.

Edit - I just did some more research and lay is also present tense (eg lay you hands on me. Bon Jovi) with laid being the past. I'm confused now. I guess both are ok. lol xx

Answer 19

Lie. Lay if its in the past tense.

Answer 20

The first one is correct for the past tense.

The second one would be present tense and should read,

'A wealth of attractions lies on our doorstep'.

Both are correct. It depends which tense you are using.