Lay or lie?

American

My pet hate is when people say 'under the circumstances'. I always say 'in the circumstances'. Circum means around or surrounding so 'under' just doesn't make sense.

I'm never sure if I am laying or lying

Well, if you say "I was led on the bed" it solves the dilemma!

annifrance One of mine too.

grandtanteJE65 "It's a foregone conclusion" is what I still say. You're right.

Penygirl, I agree. I just hate to hear, “Can I get.....” when asking for food or drink. It has to be, “Can I please have....”.

Or even “May I.....”?

I know this comes up regularly but, every time I hear 'haitch' i weep inside.

Also, (on a roll now) my mil talks about 'thee-etre' when describing the place you see a dramatic performance. I'm not actually sure whether or not it is incorrect but it really grates. What do others think?

Me too/also Nanny27 especially on BBC where I expect them to talk proper!

The ‘haitch’ that is.

Surprised while watching 'Unforgotten' last night that a well educated character said 'lay' for 'lie'.

You can lay an egg, lay something down, lay concrete or slabs, even lay a lover, but you yourself lie down in the present, and only lay down in the past.

That egg may be new-laid, your patio paving may be well-laid and your lover be well and truly laid. Both of you may even need to lie down for a while to recover. You won't need to lay down, unless you lay down the law.

You are lying down now, you lay down earlier, you have lain around for hours. If you have laid, it is the egg, the paving, or the lover. Time to crow?

Nanny27 how do you think tbeatre should be pronounced?

I would say thee-ETT-er. what would everyone else say? I hear THEE-ter a lot.

Thee-ay-ter?

As in the poem “Matilda”?

It happened that a few weeks later
Her aunt was off to the theatre..........

I think I used to say Thee-ett-er... now I say it the other way.

My DH says thee-ETT-er, but I've always felt the correct pronunciation is THEE-a-ter.

Well it seems, at least according to the Cambridge Dictionary, that THEE-a-ter is right.

I agree with you lizzypopbottle and many of the other people posting.

My pet hate is people saying 'I have wrote' instead of 'I have written' or 'I wrote'.

I pronounce the first part of theatre to rhyme with fear. It just sounds so much better to me but I wasn’t saying that I’m correct just that the other pronunciation ‘thee - etter’ Sounds odd to me.

Absolutely Nanny27. Thats how I pronounce it too. Well explained.

just off to lay the table!

parse the salt?