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Commonly Confused Words: Part
Two |
From VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar.
This week, we continue explaining commonly confused
words in the English language.
Ashley: That reminds me…Adam, do you still have my
grammar book that I let you borrow last week?
Adam: No, I lied the book down on your desk yesterday.
Ashley: You mean, you laid the book on my desk
yesterday.
Adam: Lie, lay, laid, lied…what’s the difference?
Ashley: That’s a hard question to answer. Both words
have several definitions. But an easy way to remember
the difference is this: “Lay” is a transitive verb. That
means it requires an object in the sentence. “Lie” is an
intransitive verb. That means it does not require an
object. You said you put the book on my desk. “Book” is
the object of the sentence, so you need the transitive
verb “lay.”
Adam: I think I get it now. That seems easy enough.
Ashley: Well, the difference between these two words is
a little more complex than that. Let’s keep going.
Lay and lie
Lay means “to put or set something down in a flat
position.” The past tense of lay is laid. Sometimes, it
is used with the word “down.” For example, “He laid the
newspaper down on the table.” Or, “The mother laid the
baby down for a nap.” Notice there is an object in each
sentence: “newspaper” in the first, and “baby” in the
second.
The verb lie has several meanings. It can mean “to be in
a flat position on a surface,” such as a bed. With this
definition, it is also sometimes used with the word
“down.” For example, “The doctor told him to lie down on
the examination table.” Remember, lie is an intransitive
verb. The subject is doing the action, not an object.
To make these two words even more confusing, the past
tense of lie is lay [L-A-Y]. For example, “Last night,
she lay in bed unable to fall asleep.” In this example,
even native English speakers might use the past tense of
lay, which is laid.
Listen to this famous song by Simon and Garfunkel. In
this example, they are using the transitive verb lay
followed by the direct object me.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down |
| |
present |
past |
past participle |
| transitive |
Lay
The chicken lays eggs. |
Laid
The workers laid the foundation for new school. |
Laid
He has already laid his cards on the table. |
| intransitive |
Lie
Don’t lie on the grass. |
Lay
She lay on the bed. |
Lain
The food had lain on the counter for too long. |
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Affect and Effect
These next commonly confused words sound - and look -
almost the same: affect and effect. But the one-letter
difference changes a lot.
Let’s start with effect [E-F-F-E-C-T]. Effect can act as
a noun or, in rare cases, a verb. As a noun, effect
means “a change that results when something happens.”
For example, “The Chinese economy has an effect on
global markets.”
Affect [A-F-F-E-C-T] is usually used as a verb. Affect
means “to influence.” In other words, affect means “to
have an effect” on something or someone. For instance,
“The Chinese economy affects global markets.”
Affect [A-F-F-E-C-T] can also be a noun -- but it is
much less common. As a noun, affect is “an emotion or
desire that influences behavior.”
As mentioned before, effect can also be used as a verb.
Used a verb, effect has a similar meaning to affect. It
means “to cause something or make something happen.” For
example, “President Obama has tried to effect a change
in the country’s health care policy.” Again, effect is
rarely used as a verb.
If you are confused, just remember this: effect is
usually a noun, and affect is usually a verb. |
| |
noun |
verb |
| Effect |
The law had no effect.
a change |
The president used his power to
effect change. (rare)
to cause |
| Affect |
She took the bad news with
little affect. (rare)
an emotion or desire that influences behavior |
The Chinese economy affects
global markets.
To influence |
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Than and Then
Finally, we have than and then.
Than [T-H-A-N] is both a preposition and conjunction. It
is used when comparing things. For example, “I am taller
than my sister.” Or, “Canada is larger than Mexico.”
Then is most often used an adverb. It can mean “at that
time.” It can also be used when describing what happens
next. For example, “I fed my dog, and then I walked my
dog.”
You can also use then when describing something that
must be true if something else is true. We call this an
“if/then statement.” For example, “If it is raining,
then the concert will be canceled.”
And that’s Everyday Grammar for this week. Join us again
next week as we take a look at more examples of commonly
confused words!
I’m Ashley Thompson.
And I’m Adam Brock.
Ashley Thompson wrote this article. Adam Brock and Hai
Do were the editors. |
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