Lie and lay. When searching the Web for an answer to the difference between these two verbs, you may be flailing through a nest of terms without ever comprehending the difference. The problem arises with knowing the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs, and that the two words bleed together in their spellings.

Most grammarians will go through the explanations of these terms and spellings, which truthfully are important, but are just plain confusing when you need a quick and simple answer. Most people simply don’t care about all the technical grammar jargon, they just want to know which verb to use. So, here it is, as simply as I can make it:

Lie = the act of reclining or being in a horizontal position (or telling an untruth) – you have to do this yourself to yourself.

Lay = to put something down – you have to do this to something else.

This is bare bones simplicity and you have to remember that “lay” is also a past tense of lie – but that version has nothing to do with the above version of “lay”. It’s one of the hinky irregularities of the English language.

To remember which one to use, just ask yourself - is it your body that is resting/reclining/going horizontal, or an object?

“I have to go lie down before I pass out” – you are putting yourself down. (You can’t lie another person down.)

“I have to lay this crossbow down before I shoot the next grammar geek I see” – you are putting an object down. (You can’t lay yourself down.)

Lie and Lay are complicated because of the cross spellings, but if you stick with this simple trick, you’ll usually be right. Even when you’re getting into all the tenses and transitives, you’ll still have a handle on it with this trick.

This one isn’t as tricky as it seems, though most people opt for i.e., when they really mean e.g. The problem here is that most of us have either forgotten or never knew the Latin words these abbreviations stand for. So, here’s a simple way to remember which one to use and their Latin meanings serve quite nicely.

e.g. stands for exempli gratia, which means – for example

i.e. stands for id est, which means – that is

The first letter of the abbreviation can help you remember which to use. The “e” in e.g. points to “example”, and the “i” in i.e. points to “is”. Pretty simple really.

So when you want to illustrate something, e.g., how to pick the lint out of your toes, you want to present an example.

When you want to clarify or reword something, i.e., that lint picking your toes is best done in private, then you want a “that is” involved.

Just remember to put a comma before either usage. Commas after them will depend on stylebook dictates, but usually you’ll want one.

You have to set up those speakers for a truly mag setup. You can’t have a truly mag setup until you set up those speakers.

This is similar to it’s and its because it’s so often misspelled and used improperly.

Set up – is a verb that denotes the act of putting something together

Setup – is the noun that represents the result or arrangement of what you have put together.

So, when you set up your stereo system, then you can say you have one rockin’ setup.

When you compliment someone, you could be complementing his or her day. This is actually a hard one for me to remember and another one letter voyage to misunderstanding if it’s wrong.

Compliment – noun or verb – used for praise, courtesy, esteem, affection, admiration.

Complement – noun or verb - something that fills up, completes, or supplements

One way I use to remember which vowel to use is that complement has the “e” as in complete. And compliment has an “i” as in I like. Easy as pie.

I was in a foul mood when I went for a walk. The fowl flew away when I approached its nest. That fowl had a foul smell when it passed by me. Suddenly, a foul ball hit the flying fowl when it flew over the baseball field. (It survived and flew out of sight. The fowl is having a foul day.)

Foul – something offensive, smelly, horrid, obscene, dishonorable, polluted, dirty, obstruction, an infringement of the rules

Fowl - a bird of any kind

This misspelling isn’t as common, but unfortunately still exists. So, if you say something smells fowl, you have likened the smell to a bird. If you say you saw a some a feathery foul zip by your car, you have likened what you saw to something smelly.

You could smell that in your car?

When you pick an alternate route, you have substituted one route for another. If you took an alternative route, you have chosen to travel on that route rather than another.

Alternate - one in a series, a substitute for something, occurring or succeeding in turns

Alternative – offering or expressing a choice, something that can be chosen

The difference is choice. There is no choice with an alternate. You have a choice with an alternative.

Traversing this tortuous trail has sapped what energy I had left. My limbs and ankles have been under torturous strain for hours. When will the agony end? Where will this horrible twisting path lead to?

Tortuous – repeated twisting, turning, bending – or – crooked, devious, tricky

Torturous -  causing torture, agony, intense pain, extreme discomfort, painfully slow or difficult

One letter makes a huge difference. If you changed the order in the sentences above, your trail would be suffering great pain and your limbs and ankles would be twisted like Slinkys®.

That’s no way to hike!

You must accept that these words have to be spelled correctly or no one except you will understand what you’re talking about. If you do accept that the meanings are remarkably different then you will find your way to more exceptional writing.

Accept is to receive, to give approval, to recognize as true, to take on

Except is to exclude, to take or leave out, to place a condition of unless

As you can see, their meanings are completely opposite. When you use these incorrectly, as so many people do, you are creating confusion. Don’t make the mistake of misrepresenting your meaning. Accept the task of saying it right or few will understand them except you.

This could be one of the greatest faux pas of our language. It has become so common to hear someone say they’re nauseous, it’s no wonder we’re so nauseated by people.

Nauseous – means to cause nausea or disgust.

Nauseate/d – means to be affected by stomach distress or disgust.

 Strunk explained this best and still makes me laugh. “Do not, therefore, say, ‘I feel nauseous,’ unless you are sure you have that effect on others. [1]

1. Strunk and White, The Elements of Style.

Another time vs. quantity distinction, these two beasties trip up the best of us. While you work to further your career, you may have to travel farther to find what you need. You may throw your mouse farther than you did last time, but it still didn’t get you any further in your copy.

Farther - refers to physical distance.

Further -refers to time, quantity, or degree.

The farther you write, the further you will go in your journeys. But, be nice to your mouse.

What can I write to affect this sentence so that you feel its effect? This is one of those things that are always just on the tip of your fingers and then you guess wrong.

Affect – is to have an influence, to put into action.

Effect – is the result of that influence or action.

So, in effect, you have to affect something or someone to have an effect.

Simple enough?

One letter can make the all the difference. If you misspell this particular word – then you might be portraying a thing for something other than you intended.

Simply put -

Then is order.

Than is comparison.

Write it down. Then check your work. Rewrite as necessary. Read it again. Is it better than it was before you reworded it?