Jj is for Jottings 157.  Word Confusions: Affect/Effect; Lie/Lay.

This article covers the topic of word confusions: affect/effect; lie/lay.  Posts on word confusions will pop up from time to time.  The two previous posts are: word confusions:ton/tonne;home/hone and word confusions:bought/brought;in a moment/momentarily.

When we communicate, we want to convey a message to the listener (or reader).  Using words incorrectly will muddy the waters and you may not end up conveying the message you had intended.  At best, this can require questions to clarify the message.  At worst, it can cause major misunderstandings with more serious consequences.  In written form, poor punctuation will further add to your woes.  Even Prince William had something to say about correct punctuation.  And, even if word confusions don’t change the message because the listener knows what you mean, it still takes us back to the fact that the higher we function, the more doors are open to us, which gives us the potential to lead a more happy and fulfilling life.

AFFECT/EFFECT.

Affect.

When it is used as a verb (doing word), affect means to influence. For example: “Smoking may affect your health.”  “The weather affected my mood.”  When we use it in this way, the word is fairly bland.  It doesn’t give any indication of whether the effect (!) was positive or negative.  You can usually find a more precise word – if you want to.  Example:“Smoking may ruin your health.”

As a verb it also means to adopt a pose or manner.  For example:  “He affected ignorance.”

When affect is a verb, the stress is on the second syllable.  As a noun, the stress is on the first syllable.

When it is a noun, affect refers to the facial expressions, gestures, postures, vocal intonations etc.,which typically accompany a feeling or emotion.  For example: “His face had a flat affect”, meaning it had no expression.  The noun affect tends to be used more in psychological contexts.  Affective disorders are mood disorders, the main types being depression and bipolar disorder.

Think of the relationship to the word “affection”.

Effect.

When effect is used as a verb it means to cause something to happen; to bring it about.  This is a stronger verb than affect , which just means to have an influence on.  So: “The new club president effected many positive changes.” The president could also be described as effective.

Used as a noun, effect means a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.  “The pollen in spring has a terrible effect on my sinuses.”  “…the effects of smoking on the lungs and cardiovascular system.”

The other meaning of effect as a noun is the lighting, sound or scenery used in a play, film etc.  “The production had many spectacular effects.”

Putting affect and effect together: “The weather always affected Tim’s mood. I could tell by his dismal affect that he was feeling the effects of two weeks of rain.”

LIE/LAY.

Lie.

As a noun, lie is generally clear.  It means a falsehood.  “Don’t tell me a lie – I want the truth.”

But when we come to lie and lay as verbs, that’s when the confusion begins. As a verb, lie means to recline or rest or stay; or to tell an untruth.

The main verb parts are lie, lying, lay, lain.  It refers to a person or thing going into or being in a reclining position.  It’s just jolly confusing that the past tense of lie is lay!  But the past tense of the verb “to lie’ as in telling an untruth is “lied”.  But that one never seems to trip anyone up.

“She’s so lazy – she lies in bed until midday.”

“She is still lying in bed”

“She lay down to sleep last night.”

“She has lain in bed for 12 hours.”

Lay.

Lay means “to place”, and it needs an object to complete its meaning – i.e. you have to place something.

The main verb parts are lay, laid and laying.

“Now I will lay the book on the desk.”

“Yesterday I laid the book on the desk.”

“I have already laid the book on the desk.”

“You’re always laying the blame on your brother.  I saw you break the window.”

The other meaning of lay is in the context of a hen laying an egg.

Remember: lay=place.

A HANDY TRICK TO TEST FOR LIE OR LAY.

An easy trick to check whether you should be using a verb part of lie or lay is to substitute the word “place”, “placed” or “placing” (depending on the grammatical context).  If the substitute fits, use lay.  If it doesn’t, use lie.

Try this:

• I will (lie or lay) down now.
  You would not write, “I will place down now.” So this tells you that lie is correct in this sentence: “I will lie down now.”
• I (laid or lay) the pad on his desk.
  “I placed the pad on his desk” makes sense, so, lay is correct in this sentence: “I laid the pad on the desk.” (past tense)
• These files have (laid or lain) untouched for days.
  You would not write, “These files have placed untouched for days” so lie is correct: “These files have lain untouched for days.”

Of course, if you’re unsure and want to be correct, you can always substitute another verb.  (“I put the pad on his desk; These files have sat there, untouched for days.”)

REMEMBER…

A person lies down; a person doesn’t lay down – not unless that person is laying something down – an object, the law, some rules.

It’s all quite complicated, isn’t it?  But worth getting correct.

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