Lay down means to put something or someone down (lay down your bag, lay down your weapons) and to set or establish rules or requirements: lay down the rules. In the second meaning it's the language of laws, contracts and strict bosses: The contract lays down the payment terms.
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lay + something + down; lay down + rules/conditions; be laid down in + document
- She laid the sleeping baby down in the cot and quietly left the room.
- Our school lays down strict rules about using phones in class.
- The payment terms are laid down in the contract, so please read it carefully.
What changed
First versionI've got a headache, so I'm going to lay down for an hour.
RevisionI've got a headache, so I'm going to lie down for an hour.
Lay means to put someone or something somewhere, so it needs an object: lay the baby down. To rest on a bed or sofa yourself is lie down. In the first version the person is going to rest, there's nothing to put down, so lie is needed.
The trap is that the past tense of lie is lay: Yesterday I lay down after lunch. So lay down without an object can be correct, but only in the past and only as a form of lie. The past tense of lay is laid: I laid my bag down.
Your turn
In her first week, the new manager ___ clear rules about working from home.
Show the answer
laid down — The manager set rules, and the verb has an object, rules, so you need lay in the past tense: laid down. Lay down without an object in the past is a form of lie, meaning she lay down to rest, and you can't attach rules to it.
Describe the rules at your home, workplace or student residence. Say who set them and give one rule.
My landlord laid down one strict rule when I moved in: no guests after 11 p.m.
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