Dribble by Chuck Ferris

At five AM I sit with my "dover" coffee  (Warm Dover, get it?) and contemplate the correct grammar for the next statement.

1. I have laid awake all night.  INCORRECT

2. I have lain awake all night   MY PREFERENCE

3. I have lay awake all night. INCORRECT

4. I have lied awake all night.INCORRECT

5. I laid awake all night   INCORRECT

6. I lain awake all night. INCORRECT

7. I lay awake all night   OKAY

8. I lied awake all night. TELLING FIBS?

Go back and use your cursor to find the one I consider correct.

Anyway as I (laid,lied,lay) awake, that grammar problem kept going over and over in my mind. Alas. Next time I'll try counting sheep.

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• #8 Comment from valphish 
  9/24/07 2:21 PM | Permalink

  Your preference was mine.  Are we correct?  LOL
  http://journals.aol.com/valphish/ThereisaSeason
• #7 Comment from rocrebelgranny 
  9/24/07 10:55 AM | Permalink

  It may be the difference in our browsers but I can't get mind to work here.
  
  Not with your quizzes and not with this.  I'll never know if I was correct or not.
  
  I lay is simple but I'd probably say I have lain.
• #6 Comment from mavarin 
  9/23/07 9:34 PM | Permalink

  I prefer the simple past over the participle - unless you say it while still lying in bed. - Karen
• #5 Comment from jmorancoyle 
  9/23/07 6:05 PM | Permalink

      I chose the same answer you did. Still, lay and lie and the difference always screwed me up. I like what the grammar technicians say about it in Writers Digest. It is such a silly matter that the day will come when it will be obsolete.
  Jude
  http://journals.aol.com/jmorancoyle/MyWay
  
• #4 Comment from jaymact1 
  9/23/07 11:18 AM | Permalink

  Good Morning Chuck I agree with you. Sorry to hear you had a bad night for the first time in weeks I slept like a log I suppose that will be it now for another month or so. Hope you have a better night tonight. Love Joan.