Is “lay” in this sentence in the correct tense?

Question

I'm making a description for an app, this strikes me as a bit awkward for some reason:

"I wanted to create an app that lay somewhere between an ecosystem and a musical instrument."

Is the word lay in the correct tense?

@Miles: In the future, if your question is closed, you can edit the existing question. If enough high-rep users think that your question is in the guidelines, it can be reopened.

Nicholas · Accepted Answer · 2011-07-30 05:31:13Z

Yes, it is. "Lay" is the simple past tense form of the intransitive verb "lie". The sentence you've quoted is grammatically correct.

What confuses people is that "lay" is also a transitive verb in the present tense--chickens lay eggs. The past tense of that verb is "laid".

RegDwighт · Answer 2 · 2012-10-19 21:25:28Z

up vote 0 down vote

While your sentence is correct, you might find using fit sounds closer to what you're meaning to say.

I wanted to create an app that fit somewhere between an ecosystem and a musical instrument

edited Oct 19 '12 at 21:25

RegDwighт♦
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answered May 13 '12 at 5:55

Insperatus
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Sparr · Answer 3 · 2012-10-19 21:26:59Z

up vote 0 down vote

You might make it sound less odd by using "fell" or by omitting "that lay" entirely.

answered Oct 19 '12 at 21:26

Sparr
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3 Answers