Lay v.s. was lying

Question

What is the difference between 'she lay" and "she was lying"? i.e. She was lying on a bed v.s. she lay on a bed? are they interchangeable?Jack

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

They are quite similar.

was lying gives the impression that you are setting up the background of some other event that took place. It gives the impression of simultaneous or somewhat simultaneous activities or events. The "other" activity or event defines the scope of time involved, so you wouldn't normally say "for three hours" or anything very specific about the time with this one.

She was lying on the bed when suddenly she heard a loud noise.
She was lying on the bed when the earthquake struck.
Where was she when her husband came home? She was lying on the bed.

lay gives the impression that you are talking about a specific period of time in the past when this happened. It gives the impression that this is just one event in a series of events in a story. The "other" activities or events come before and/or after, so they don't define the scope of time involved. You would specify the amount of time with a phrase like "for three hours" if you wanted to mention that information.

She lay on the bed until the kids came home from school. Then she got up and made a snack for them.
She had nothing to do last Friday so she lay on the bed most of the day.
She had a great shock when she learned she had not been accepted for the position. She lay on the bed for an hour to calm her nerves. Then, feeling better, she went shopping.

There are some situations in which they are interchangeable, I suppose, but most of the time just one or the other conveys what you want to say, so they are not truly interchangeable.

CJ

Lay v.s. was lying

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