Lay, Lie, Laid. Oh My!
The hell that is the English language
I am the worst proofreader of my own work. Horrible at it. I can be oblivious to typos, neglectful of missing words, possessive nouns, and God knows I crash and burn with lie, lay, and laid.
I know, I know. There are plenty of ways to become familiar with the rules of those L words. An editor I reguarly work with sent me what she calls a “handy-dandy little chart” that helps her. And she is one of the best editors I’ve ever worked with. Still, she needs that chart.
The English language is a strange one — words that sound alike, mean different things, and are spelled differently. (Deer and dear). You’ve got those weird contractions — (I’d and it’s) — and then the whole thing with its and it’s. Seems simple most of the time because I work with language every day. But it’s not. There’s always something that trips me up.
Swim, swam, swum!
Every writer needs an editor. Every writer needs a proofreader who is not the writer, who is not their partner, who is not their neighbor. Every writer needs a word surgeon who is detached from the writer and ruthlessly particular. This editor/proofer must cut, clarify, and help “color” the work. Look at the sentence structure, the meaning, the narrative flow, and must have a keen eye and ear to rhythm. And then of course, those typos and those grammatical bugaboos.
Lay, lie, laid!
What to look for in an editor/proofer?
Ask questions.
How many writers have your worked with? Who are they? Do you mind if I contact them? What kind of editor are you? Are you developmental, meaning you look at characters, plot, storyline? Or are you strictly a proofer, looking for mistakes, clarity, typos, grammar issues? How much do you charge? It’s usually by the word. How long do you take to complete the work?
In your early drafts, yes, you can do your own due diligence on your copy, but when you feel you have reached the final narrative script, one your reasonably happy with, that’s when you call in the calvary. That’s when you need new eyes on the manuscript to fine tune and to eliminate those hiccups. Don’t ever skip this step.
And on the lay, lie, laid thing?
Here’s a trimmed down version of the “handy-dandy little chart.” Maybe you can lay it down somewhere safe — lie it down?
Wait. Let me check.
David W. Berner is the author of several award-winning books of memoir and literary fiction. His poetry collection, Garden Tools will be published in the fall of 2025 by Finishing Line Press and his award-winning novella, American Moon is due out from Regal House in 2026. He has been teaching writing for more than twenty-five years.
