Usage Goof! Is it "laying" or "lying"?

John Archibald's column in The Birmingham News this morning compares Mayor Larry Langford's visions for the city to Peter Pan and Never Never Land. Time will tell about all that.

In one paragraph, Archibald quotes Council President Carole Smitherman as saying that Langford had "put together all that money that's just laying there" and was able to tap into "what people really, really want."

It's certainly more difficult to get the grammar right when speaking out loud, but she should have said that Mayor Langford had "put together all that money that's just lying there."

Here's the reason: Remember those principal parts of verbs you learned back in elementary school? It turns out they have a purpose:

lie (is lying), which means to be in a reclining position

The book is lying on the desk. I don't leave money lying around.


lay (is laying), which means to put down somewhere

That hen is laying an egg. I am laying your book on the desk.

Have a great day. Gather up all that money you have lying around and do something good with it!