Grammar:

Word Usage

Part V

lielay

set

sit

there

theirdov

e

raise

hanged

lose

sneaked

dived

Ain’t

They’re

loose

rise

hung

snuck

Words that confuse us:

who

who

m

brought

Brung

sneak sneaked have sneaked

think thought have thought

ring rang has rung

bring brought has brought

drink drank has drunk

think thought has thought

sit sat has sat

walk walked has walked

learn learned has learned

V

E

R

B

S

Present Past Tense Past Participle

Lie and layThe verb “to lie” means to recline. The verb “to lay” means to place. “Lie” does not require a direct object. “Lay” does.

I am so tired. I just want to lie down.

Lay the dress gently on the chair so that it doesn’t get wrinkled.

Dress is the direct object in the sentence above. If you have a direct object, you must use a form of the verb “to lay.” That’s easy, right?

Present tense Past Tense Past Participle

lie lay has lain

lay laid has laid

Look at the chart above, and you will see where the problem is. How can the present tense of one verb be the past tense of another? The answer isn’t easy, but it works.

If you are creating a sentence that contains a direct object, you will be using some form of the verb “to lay.” If your sentence has no direct object, use a form of the verb “to lie.”

Sit and set

Sit and set are similar to lie and lay. “Sit” does not take an object. “Set” does have a direct object. You would tell someone:

Sit down and have some coffee. (No direct object in this sentence.)

Set your packages on the table in the hall. (What word answers the question “what” following the verb “set?”)

Present Past tense Past Participle

ring rang rung

spring sprang sprung

sink sank sunk

think thank? thunk?

bring brang? brung?

bring brought? has brought?

Just because we conjugate one verb one way, it doesn’t mean that we conjugate a verb that rhymes with that word the same way.

Sneaked and snuck

The verb sneak is a regular verb. That means that it forms its past tense and past participle by adding –ed. Most verbs are regular. Some are not. We make mistakes when we conjugate a regular verb as if it were irregular, or if we create our own conjugation for a verb.

The thief sneaked out of the house as quietly as he had sneaked in.

Ain’t—If you use it at age 17 or 18. . .

On television and in movies if the director wants to portray a certain character as being totally ignorant, he has that character say one word—ain’t.

The verb “to be” is conjugated “am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been.” I am. He is. They are. You were. They have been.

Ain’t is the lazy man’s way to communicate. I ain’t. He ain’t. She ain’t. They ain’t. You ain’t.

If this man says ain’t, you probably won’t mind that much. He is in a job that probably doesn’t require much trust on your part.

Would you let this man do his job for you if he said “ain’t?” How much could you trust him if he did say “ain’t?” Would you allow a doctor who said “ain’t” to operate on your mom?

Any time that the verb “to be” is conjugated incorrectly, it implies ignorance on the part of the speaker. In addition to taking “ain’t” out of your vocabulary, you might want to work on using other parts of “to be” correctly.

Which are correct?We was already late for school so we just

didn’t go at all.We were already late for school so we

just didn’t go at all.He be a starting quarterback for a pro

football team.He is a starting quarterback for a pro

football team.

x

x

They’re there their

These words sound similar. But they are used very differently.

1. One is a contraction.

They’re = they + are

2. One is an expletive or adverb. There

3. One is a possessive pronoun. Their

“They’re” is a contraction of they + are.

Those people are seniors. They’re graduating in May.

“There” is an expletive. It points something out.

There is my school.

“Their” is a plural possessive pronoun.

That is their school.

lose loose

One of the errors that I see the most in student writing involves the two words above.

We make this mistake when we write. People usually pronounce the words correctly when they speak.

Lose is pronounced looz and means to misplace.

Loose is pronounced loos and means clothing that hangs or women

who are promiscuous.

raise rise

We use the word raise when we are doing the labor.

I raised the window to let in the fresh air.

We use the word rise when something goes up by itself.

The sun rises in the east.

hung hanged

People seldom misuse this pair of words mostly because we seldom refer to people being hanged.

The rule is that clothes are hung.

People are hanged.

who whomSome people say that this shouldn’t even matter any more. Maybe not. But it really is nice to hear someone use these two words correctly.

Should I say “who” or “whom”?

“Who” is a nominative case pronoun. This means that it is used as a subject or as a predicate nominative. If we could substitute the word “he” and the sentence would still make sense, then “who” is the right word to use.

(Who, Whom) was calling on the phone?

(Who, Whom) were you speaking to?

(Who, Whom) does that jacket belong to?

(Who, Whom) sits first chair now?

“Whom” is an objective case pronoun. This means that it is used as the object of a preposition, a direct object, or an indirect object.

(Who, Whom) was calling on the phone?

To (who, whom) were you speaking?

To (who, whom) does that jacket belong?

(Who, Whom) sits first chair now?

It helps when we phrase things correctly. It makes it easier to use the right word.