past/passed

[starrylizard]

I've tried to put up an explanation of this before and failed, because, while I know the rule, it's really hard to explain for some reason... But I see it written incorrectly in GOOD fic all the time!

So, anyway, today I found this site, Common errors in English, which offers a much better explanation:

Past vs Passed
If you are referring to a period of time before now or a distance, use “past”: “the team performed well in the past,” “the police car drove past the suspect’s house.” If you are referring to the action of passing, however, you need to use “passed“: “when John passed the gravy, he spilled it on his lap,” “the teacher was astonished that none of the students had passed the test.” Remember that no matter however you have ”passed the time” you have never “past the time,” not even in the distant past.

So, there we go. Just thought I'd share. :)

Oh, just found another one... this one is for me, because I get confused at times:

lie vs lay:
You lay down the book you’ve been reading, but you lie down when you go to bed. In the present tense, if the subject is acting on some other object, it’s “lay.” If the subject is lying down, then it’s “lie.” This distinction is often not made in informal speech, partly because in the past tense the words sound much more alike: “He lay down for a nap,” but “He laid down the law.” If the subject is already at rest, you might “let it lie.” If a helping verb is involved, you need the past participle forms. “Lie” becomes “lain” and “lay” becomes “laid”: “He had just lain down for a nap,” and “His daughter had laid the gerbil on his nose."

Also, this is why the song "Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol" is at once loved and hated by me. "If I lay here/ If I just lay here..." What an egg? Then: "Would you lie with me?" showing he does know the other form of the word, but is choosing to be incorrect! Grr!

Comments

[kellifer-fic.livejournal.com]

Hahahaa... awesome! This is the one that always stumps me and I think I was contemplating *exactly* the time one just the other day.

[charis-kalos.livejournal.com]

Wow! This is one of those things that I know instinctively, and notice when it's wrong, but I could never for the life of me have explained the rule.

Now, go for the less/fewer distinction: less rice, fewer eggs. I always need to make hand gestures to myself to work that one out.

And - no tags, I get notified. How frustrating is this whole thing!

[ljmckay.livejournal.com]

So, but..."lay" can be past tense of "lie", right? So like, "The rose lay on the pillow" not "The rose lied on the pillow".

lay/lie is one of my biggest troubles. also the yours and theres but only in typing, not understanding. ;)

[reedfem.livejournal.com]

Further vs farther always gets me.

[inkscribe.livejournal.com]

One of my readers, one whom I suspect is both more astute and more anal than I am re: grammar, actually cottoned on to the fact that no one ever does anything but recline or otherwise splay themselves about in my NC-17 scenes. The reason? No matter how often I've read explanations on the distinction, I just can't figure out which is correct, so I avoid lie/lay at all costs, unless someone is telling an untruth. ;-)

Also, this is why the song "Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol" is at once loved and hated by me. "If I lay here/ If I just lay here..." What an egg? Then: "Would you lie with me?" showing he does know the other form of the word, but is choosing to be incorrect! Grr!

I'm not familiar with the song, but I was actually teaching a college-level grammar course when I discovered the reason The Talking Heads had what had always sounded (to me) an entirely wrong line in the song Dream Operator.

(wow ... and yes, that is a convoluted sentence above ... I'm waaaayyyy too tired tonight, LOL! My apologies).

The lines went:
You wish you were me,
I wish I were you,

... and this drove me crazy for years. I thought it should be "I wish I was you," ... until I finally learned nope, the line is spoken in the subjunctive ("what if"), and therefore is absolutely correct.

Grammar Nerdz Unite! ;-)

(Though please take pity on the exhausted person tonight and let my effusive use of commas and elipses stand uncorrected. *begs*)

[inkscribe.livejournal.com]

PS: I think that the term "pastimes" (hobbies) sometimes adds to the confusion of the first example. "My pastimes include writing pron, eating day-old bread, and watching reruns of political debates."

[yokiem.livejournal.com]

"If I lay here/ If I just lay here..." What an egg?
*snickers*

What about effect/affect?? Especially effected/affected! I think I know how to use it in normal conversation but the other day someone in the lab said that his supervisor changed all his "affected"s to "effected"s. Maybe it's specifically science-related. ie. you can't affect the expression of a protein...???

[missyvortexdv.livejournal.com]

The lay/lie is helpful, I always confuse those, though I doubt I'm gonna remember the rules for when to use either.