及物與不及物動詞對:「Lay」vs.「Lie」(+其他例子)

 


上一篇newsletter,我討論了動詞「sit」和「seat」的不同之處。它們都有共同字根及近似的含義,但卻分別是及物和不及物的。也就是說,「sit」在表達它的意思時不會連接直接賓語,而「seat」則剛好相反,需要連接直接賓語才能表達意思。


「Sit」所表達的,是主語進行「坐著」或「坐下」的動作。因為這樣,它沒有直接賓語。例如:



I sat for hours.

我坐了很多小時



「Seat」表達「帶某人到其座位/坐下」的動作,被引導到座位的「某人」便是直接賓語,就如以下例句中的「the guests」:


They already seated the guests.

他們已帶了賓客入坐了


我提過,包括英文在內的許多語言中,都有不少這種及物和不及物的動詞對 – 即有共同字根及近似含義,但分別有或沒有直接賓語的動詞。(這些動詞通常有相同的子音,但不同的母音。)


這次我們再多看幾個例子吧。


例如,「raise」和「rise」的意思相近,但一個是及物,一個是不及物的。「Raise」是指「把某東西提高/提升」,有直接賓語;「Rise」則是指主語自己「提高/提升」,並沒有直接賓語:


They raised the temperature

他們把溫度升高了


The temperature rose.

溫度升高了


第一句中,「raise」連接了直接賓語「the temperature」。「the temperature」是那個被主語提升的對象。


第二句中,「rose」(「rise」的過去式)沒有連接直接賓語,因為它表達的是主語「the temperature」「升高」。


因此,雖然這些動詞看起來差不多,意思也相近,你還是要小心不將它們混淆。例如:


They rose the temperature. ❌


The temperature raised. ❌


注意別把不及物的「rise」加上直接賓語,或在及物的「raise」後面不連接直接賓。


再看看另一組例子 – 動詞「lay」和「lie」。


這對動詞對許多學習英文作外語的人士而言都尤其困惑,因為除了意思和基本字形相似外,它們的過去式(和簡單體貌)限定動詞字形也很接近,所以特別容易造成混淆。


動詞「lay」是及物的,意思是「放下某東西」(通常指平放在表面上)。那個被放下/平躺的人或物,正是直接賓語。


動詞「lie」則是不及物的,意思是「躺臥」(通常指平躺在表面上)。這裡不會出現直接賓語,因為實行「lying」動作的是主語本身。


例如:


I am laying her down on the bed. 

我正把她放在床上


She is lying on the bed.

她正躺在床上


第一組例句中,「her」是動詞「lay」的直接賓語 – 主語「I」把她平放在床上。


第二組例句中,是主語「she」「躺在床上」,所以也沒有直接賓語。


跟「raise」和「rise」一樣,我們不要把這兩個動詞混淆來使用:


I am lying her down on the bed. ❌


She is laying on the bed. ❌


別將「lay」當成是不及物動詞,或把「lie」用作是及物的。


這對動詞最讓人感到困惑的地方,是它們的過去式(和簡單體貌)限定動詞字形都是不規則的*,而且頗為相似:


及物動詞: Lay (基本動詞字形) → Laid (過去式字形)


不及物動詞: Lie (基本動詞字形) → Lay (過去式字形)


及物動詞「lay」的過去式字形是 「laid」(發音: /leɪd/)。假如我們用它重寫上述例句:


 I am laying her down on the bed.

我正把她放在床上


I laid her down on the bed. 

我把她放了在床上


在「laid」之後連接了直接賓語「her」,因為「laid」是及物動詞「lay」的過去式字形。


不及物動詞「lie」的過去式字形是 「lay」(發音:/leɪ/)。所以我們若用它重寫上述例句:


She is lying on the bed.

她正躺在床上


She lay on the bed.

她躺了在床上


在「lay」之後沒有直接賓語,因為它是不及物動詞「lie」的過去式字形。


而最讓人困惑的地方,是不及物動詞「lie」的過去式字形,不論在發音和寫法上,都與及物動詞「lay」的基本動詞字形(以及現在式字形)一模一樣。**


所以嘗試不要混淆兩者:***



She laid on the bed. ❌

She lay on the bed. ✔️ (「lay」是不及物動詞「lie」的過去式字形


I lay her down on the bed. ❌(假如原意是使用「lay」的過去式

I laid her down on the bed. ✔️ (「laid」是及物動詞「lay」的過去式字形


我再舉一個這種及物和不及物對詞的例子 – 擁有相同字形的「change」和「change」:


He changed his number.

他換了電話號碼


He changed.

他改變了


「Change」是個擁有兩種版本的動詞 – 一個是及物的,意指「改變/換某人/某事物」;另一個是不及物的,表達「(主語)有所改變/換衣服」。


這也說明了某些及物和不及物的對詞,在字形和發音上都可能是一樣的。


在第一組例句中,「his clothes」是「changed」的直接賓語,即被主語「he」改變的對象。而第二句,則是主語「he」自己「改變」。


從現在起,記得要多注意這些不及物/及物的英文對詞。當有不同字形時,也不要混淆它們了。


_____________________

小練習:


請為以下句子選擇正確的動詞。


  1. The student in the front row raised / rose his hand.
    坐在前排的學生舉起了他的手


  1. Can I just lay / lie here for one more minute?
    我可以再躺這裡一分鐘嗎?

_______________________


備註:

*

如果單以發音而言,「lay」的過去式「laid」其實不是不規則的。因為它的母音沒有變,只是在最後加了一個規則的過去式字尾/d/。 (/leɪd/)


書面上,這動詞則因為某原因寫作「laid」,而不是採用加「ed」字尾的「常規」寫法。

**

另一個令人困惑的地方,是我們很自然會假定「lie」也有一個「常規的」過去式字形。所以你可能會以為「lied」/laɪd/ 就是其過去式字形。


然而,當「lie」的意思是「躺在平坦的表面上」,它的過去式字形並不是「lied」。


「lied」是「lie」另一個版本的過去式字形,意思為「說謊」。


例如:


I lied. 

我說謊了 (是「說謊」的「lie」的過去式字形)


不要把它當成是表達「平躺」意思的「lie」來使用:


I lied on my bed. ❌


I lay on my bed. ✔️

我躺了在床上


***

我們當然應記住這些字形,盡量不混淆它們,但也需要理解,由於兩個動詞的字形十分相似甚至有所重疊,因此在實際使用上,有很多情況,許多母語人士都會把這些字形互換。


例如,他們可能會說「I was laying on my bed」,但其實應該是「was lying」才對。不過這是可接受的,我們一般也不會將之當成是一種很突兀的「錯誤」,尤其當這是出現在較隨意的語境。(亦有不同的母語英文種類,會傾向更多把這些字形通用。)

______



Intransitive and Transitive Verb Pairs: “Lie” vs. “Lay” and More


In the last newsletter, I talked about the differences between the verbs “sit” and “seat.” These verbs share the same root and have related meanings, but are respectively intransitive and transitive – meaning that “sit” does not take a direct object when it expresses its meaning, and “seat” does take a direct object when it expresses its meaning. 


“Sit,” once again, expresses that the subject does the action of “sitting” or “sitting down.” There is no direct object involved because of this meaning. For example:


I sat for hours.

我坐了很多小時


Conversely, “seat” expresses the action of “bringing someone to their seat/to sit down.” The “someone” that is led to their seat is the direct object. For example, in the example below, “the guests” is the direct object: 


They already seated the guests.

他們已帶了賓客入坐了


Now, I mentioned that, in many languages, including English, there are many examples of such “transitive” and “intransitive” verb pairs – as in, pairs of verbs that share the same root and thus have related meanings, but are variously with and without a direct object. (These verbs usually share the same consonants but different vowels.) 


Let’s look at a couple more examples this time. 


For example, “raise” and “rise” have related meanings but are respectively transitive and intransitive. “Raise” means to “make something higher” and has a direct object; “rise,” on the other hand, means the subject itself “gets higher/up” and so has no direct object: 


They raised the temperature

他們把溫度升高了


The temperature rose.

溫度升高了


In the first sentence, “raised” has the direct object “the temperature.” “The temperature” is the “something” that is “raised” – or “made higher” – by the subject. 


In the second sentence, “rose” (past tense form of “rise”) has no direct object. This is because “rose” (rise) expresses the meaning that the subject here, “the temperature,” “became higher.”


So, even though these verbs look similar and have related meanings, you have to be careful not to mix them up. For example:

They rose the temperature. ❌

The temperature raised. ❌


You have to avoid using the intransitive “rise” with a direct object, and using the transitive “raise” without a direct object. 


Now, let’s look at another pair of examples, the verbs “lay” and “lie.”


This pair of verbs is especially confusing to many foreign language learners of English because, apart from their similarities in meaning and in their infinitive forms, their past tense (and simple aspect) finite forms are also similar and can be mixed up easily. 


The verb “lay” is transitive and means to “put something down (usually flat on a surface).” The “thing/person” that is “laid” is the direct object. 


The verb “lie,” on the other hand, is intransitive and means “to be on your back (usually flat on a surface).” There is no direct object because the subject does the action of “lying” down.


For example: 


I am laying her down on the bed. 

我正把她放在床上

She is lying on the bed.

她正躺在床上


In the first example, “her” is the direct object of the verb “lay” – the subject “I” does the action of “putting her down flat on the bed.”


In the second example, the subject “she” is “lying on the bed,” and there is no direct object.


In the same way as “raise” and “rise,” you should avoid mixing these verbs up:


I am lying her down on the bed. ❌

She is laying on the bed. ❌


Don’t use “lay” as an intransitive verb, and don’t use “lie” as a transitive one. 


Now, another layer of complication to this particular verb pair is that their respective past tense (and simple aspect) finite forms are both irregular* and quite similar: 


Transitive: Lay (infinitive) → Laid (past tense form)

Intransitive: Lie (infinitive) → Lay (past tense form)


The past tense form of the transitive “lay” is “laid” /leɪd/. If we rewrite the above example with it: 


I am laying her down on the bed.

我正把她放在床上

I laid her down on the bed. 

我把她放了在床上


There is a direct object “her” after “laid” because “laid” is the past tense form of transitive “lay.”


The past tense form of the intransitive “lie” is, confusingly, “lay” /leɪ/, with a vowel change. So, if we rewrite the above example with it: 


She is lying on the bed.

她正躺在床上


She lay on the bed.

她躺了在床上


There is no direct object after this “lay” because it is the past tense form of intransitive “lie.”


So, the most confusing part is that the past tense form of the intransitive “lie” is the same (in both pronunciation and written form) as the infinitive form (and present tense form) of the transitive “lay.”** 


Try not to confuse the forms:*** 


She laid on the bed. ❌

She lay on the bed. ✔️ (“Lay” is the past tense form of the intransitive “lie”)


I lay her down on the bed. ❌(if this is meant to be in past tense

I laid her down on the bed. ✔️ (”Laid” is the past tense form of the transitive “lay”


Let me give one more pair of these intransitive and transitive verbs. This time, let’s look at “change” and “change” – which both have the same form:


He changed his clothes.

他換了衣服


He changed.

他改變了


"Change” has two versions – one that is transitive, meaning “to change someone/something,” and another that is intransitive, meaning “(the subject) changes/changes clothes.” 


This shows that some of these intransitive/transitive pairs can also look and sound the same.


In the first example, “his clothes” is the direct object of “changed” and is the “thing” that is changed by the subject “he.” In the second example, the subject “he” does the “changing.”


Watch out for these intransitive/transitive verb pairs in English from now on and, when they have different forms, remember not to confuse them!


_____________________

Mini Exercise:

Choose the correct verbs for the following sentences. 


a. The student in the front row raised / rose his hand.
坐在前排的學生舉起了他的手

b. Can I just lay / lie here for one more minute?
我可以再躺這裡一分鐘嗎? 

_______________________


Answers: 

a. Raised

b. Can... lie

____________


Notes:

*

The past tense form of “lay” – “laid” – is not actually irregular if we just consider the pronunciation, as there is no vowel change, and there is the /d/ ending added on. (/leɪd/)


In spelling (in writing), the word is – for whatever reason – spelled “laid” instead of the “regular” way of adding on the /d/ ending as “ed.” Just take note of this. 


**

A further point of confusion is that, naturally, you might assume that “lie” has a “regular” past tense form. If you assume this, you might assume that “lied” /laɪd/ is the past tense form.


However, “lied” is actually not the past tense form of this verb “lie,” which means “being on one’s back on a flat surface.” 


“Lied” is the past tense form of another version of the verb “lie,” which is unrelated in meaning to this one here – the one that means “say something that is not true.” 


For example:


I lied. 

我說謊了


Don’t confuse this as the form for the transitive “lie” meaning “being on one’s back”:


I lied on my bed. ❌


I lay on my bed. ✔️

我躺了在床上


***

You should try to clarify these forms and not confuse them, but I also need to note that, because the forms for these two verbs are so similar and intertwined, in real usage, especially in casual contexts, many native speakers would also use the forms interchangeably.


For example, they might say “I was laying on my bed” when it should be “was lying,” etc. – and this is often acceptable and not jarringly “wrong,” especially in casual contexts and within certain varieties of native English. 


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