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# 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lay/#m1)

2) A hen lays an egg when the egg comes out of her body. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lay/#m2)

3) To lay the table is to put out plates, knives and forks for a meal. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lay/#m3)

4) To lay bricks or carpet is to put them in place. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lay/#m4)

5) «Lay» is also the past form of «lie» (to rest flat): «He lay on the grass». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lay/#m5)

6) Lay can also mean to bet, so "I lay she is loaded" means "I bet she is loaded." [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lay/#m6)

### 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lay/#x1)
- 5 hens lay how many eggs in a week? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lay/#x2)
- He lays 40 bricks an hour. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lay/#x3)
- She laid 6 plates on the table. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lay/#x4)
- Please lay the table for dinner. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lay/#x5)
- Turtles lay their eggs in the sand. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lay/#x6)
- He lay on the grass and looked at the clouds. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lay/#x7)
- Lay your coat on the bed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lay/#x8)
- "Well, I lay she's loaded, boss. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lay/#x9)

### 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.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/51-scary-news-wars-disasters-and-how-to-talk-about-them/19/)
- [She whispers to her mum that the girls watched a scary film and she lay awake till three, listening to every creak.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/56-scary-films-nightmares-and-sad-endings/5/)
- [Some sharks and rays lay eggs in leathery cases called mermaid's purses, while other sharks give birth to live pups.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/28-sharks/17/)
- [Crocodiles lay eggs in nests; the mother guards them and carries the hatchlings to water in her mouth.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/29-crocodiles-and-alligators/9/)
- [Many female sea turtles come back to lay eggs on the beach where they hatched; scientists think they remember its magnetic signature.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/31-turtles-and-tortoises/14/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «lay» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lay/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.