"Lying" is correct. If you said "as he lay on the ground, looking up", then it would be lay. In this case, if I remember my sentence structure terminology correctly, the infinitive "to lie" should be a present participle, which is "lying".
Nope, absolutely "lying." Even if it were the past progressive, it would be "As he was lying on the ground ...." The only way "lay" would come into it is if it were simple past tense: "As he lay on the ground ...."
The weird thing is that I understood it all once upon a time. I remember getting in trouble for talking in German class. I was explaining to the girl next to me that liegen and legen were the same as lie and lay, because I knew she'd understand that (but it had apparently never occurred to the teacher to explain it that way.) :-D
But that's only Present, Imperfect, Perfect/Pluperfect for each.
I tend to remember which one to use by saying "If I can set an item, I can lay it. But if I can sit, I can lie. And that's the truth!" :-) (But then I learned the difference when I learned the German verbs setzen and sitzen... which is odd considering they aren't so different....
And why do I babble when you already said your query was answered... ?
(no subject)
Date: Dec. 19th, 2007 04:11 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Dec. 19th, 2007 04:17 am (UTC)That's the way I wrote it, but my research indicates that perhaps it should be 'laying'.
??
(no subject)
Date: Dec. 19th, 2007 04:22 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Dec. 19th, 2007 04:26 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Dec. 19th, 2007 04:28 am (UTC)You're most welcome. All this crap in my brain's gotta be good for something once in a while.
(no subject)
Date: Dec. 19th, 2007 04:36 am (UTC)(and no, sadly, they never called me to be on the show. *pouts*)
(no subject)
Date: Dec. 19th, 2007 04:13 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Dec. 19th, 2007 04:17 am (UTC)That's the way I wrote it, but my research indicates that perhaps it should be 'laying'.
??
(no subject)
Date: Dec. 19th, 2007 04:21 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Dec. 19th, 2007 04:28 am (UTC)Thank you! :-D
(no subject)
Date: Dec. 19th, 2007 04:29 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Dec. 19th, 2007 04:34 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Dec. 19th, 2007 05:56 am (UTC)otoh
I lay, I laid, I have/had lain...
But that's only Present, Imperfect, Perfect/Pluperfect for each.
I tend to remember which one to use by saying "If I can set an item, I can lay it. But if I can sit, I can lie. And that's the truth!" :-) (But then I learned the difference when I learned the German verbs setzen and sitzen... which is odd considering they aren't so different....
And why do I babble when you already said your query was answered... ?
(no subject)
Date: Dec. 19th, 2007 06:06 am (UTC)In this instance I knew which word was correct, and I happened to write it correctly the first time! Woohoo!
Sheer chance, tho.