We cats are in complete sympathy with this Marine except for one thing: Good God, is it too much to ask that people use the verb "to lie" correctly?
Apparently, it is. We cats could count on one paw the instances in which we've heard heroes like this guy, cable TV talking heads, healthcare workers and ordinary Americans employ "lie/lay" without error.
But if Eric Alva were to deliver his message in the true spirit of English grammar, he would have said: "Like the day I lay bleeding on the sands of Iraq."
The rule is simple. If you're talking about a person, he lies. So in the present tense, a person says, "I lie on the sands of Iraq." But if it's past tense, he says, "I lay on the sands of Iraq." But if he's talking about his recent past, he would say, "I have lain on the sands of Iraq."
But if you're talking about an object, it's different. "I will lay this book down on the sands of Iraq." "He laid the book down on the sands of Iraq."
To our ears, it's so easy. But then, we cats are supposed to have very good hearing.
2 comments:
The lay/lie error is epidemic. Rarely do I hear it used correctly by newscasters, average people, or even in
commecials. Then, of course, we also have "pundints"
and "Incindiary" both of which were used last night on the ABC news by veteran newscasters.
We cats sometimes hear even President Obama say "pundint" and occasionally use "I" objectively. Which just goes to show you: If brilliant people like the President are doing stuff like that, the Grammar Wars will never end. Fight on!
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