Pariksha SaathiConfusable Verbs (Lay/Lie, Rise/Raise) Questions with Solutions
"Lie" and "lay," "rise" and "raise" trip people up because one verb in each pair doesn’t take a direct object and the other always does — and to make it worse, "lay" is also the past tense of "lie." Here’s the approach, four fully worked examples, and a few to try yourself.
The approach, quickly
- "Lie" (lie – lay – lain) means to recline or rest, and never takes a direct object: "I lie down," not "I lie something down."
- "Lay" (lay – laid – laid) means to put or place something down, and always takes a direct object: "She lays the book," not "She lays" alone.
- The confusion peaks in the past tense: "lay" is both the base form of "to put something down" AND the past tense of "lie" — "Yesterday, I lay in bed" uses "lay" as the past of "lie," with no object.
- "Rise" (rise – rose – risen) means to go up by itself, with no direct object: "The sun rises." "Raise" (raise – raised – raised) means to lift something, and always takes a direct object: "She raises her hand."
Worked examples
1. Choose the correct form: Please ___ the book on the table. (A) lie (B) lay
Solution
- The sentence has a direct object ("the book") — "lay" (to put something down) is correct, not "lie."
Answer: lay
2. Choose the correct form: I need to ___ down; I have a headache. (A) lie (B) lay
Solution
- There’s no direct object — this is about reclining, so "lie" is correct, not "lay."
Answer: lie
3. Choose the correct form: Yesterday, the dog ___ in the sun all afternoon. (A) lay (B) laid
Solution
- This is the past tense of "lie" (to recline), which is "lay" — not "laid," which is the past tense of "lay" (to put something down).
Answer: lay
4. Choose the correct form: The sun ___ every morning at 6 AM. (A) rises (B) raises
Solution
- There’s no direct object, and the sun moves on its own — "rises" is correct, not "raises."
Answer: rises
Try these yourself
Check whether there’s a direct object, then check against the answer.
1. Choose the correct form: She ___ her hand to ask a question. (A) rose (B) raised
Answer: raised
2. Choose the correct form: The price of petrol has ___ sharply this month. (A) risen (B) raised
Answer: risen
3. Choose the correct form: He ___ the documents on my desk this morning. (A) lay (B) laid
Answer: laid
Where this comes up
Confusable Verbs is tested directly in the English Language section of every exam Pariksha Saathi covers — SSC CGL, SSC MTS, SSC CHSL, IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, SBI PO and SBI Clerk.
Practice more Confusable Verbs questions
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