Grammatical Goblins: LAY vs LIE

Okay...so I'm going to begin this post with an enormous groan and a wag of my finger at the wicked, wicked folks responsible for the LAY vs. LIE fiasco, which has to be one of the most wretchedly confusing idiosyncrasies in the whole of the English language--and as we all know, that is saying an awful, awful lot.

So what's the problem? The problem is this: both words are three letters long and both begin with an 'L'. Additionally, the definitions of the words are rather similar and both involve something being set down. Confusing, yes? Well here's the kicker...: The past tense of "lie" is "lay".

This is nothing short of villainous.

So here is a quick rundown of each of these evil words:

Lay:
To set down an object;

Present Tense--- Past Tense --- Past Participle
-----Lay -----------Laid ------------Laid

(Present): "Lay the book on the table, Dennis."
(Past): "A minute ago, Dennis laid the book on the table."
(Past Participle): "I had laid down a book as well."

The lowdown: The verb "LAY" is very similar to the verbs "set" and "place".
"Lay the book on the table."
"Set the book on the table."
"Place the book on the table."

Essentially, these all mean the same thing.

Lie:
to recline---"Lie" is what you do when you go to sleep--unless you sleep standing up (or sitting).

Present Tense--- Past Tense --- Past Participle
-----Lie -----------Lay ------------Lain

The confusing bit comes in here, because the past tense of "Lie" is "Lay".
(Present): "I'm tired--I need to lie down."
(Past): "I lay down four hours ago, and I still haven't gotten up!"
(Past Participle): "Until this morning, I had lain in bed for a month."

Cheers

C.S.