Common English Word Confusion

For anyone learning English, there are common English word confusions to learn, and you might need some review of these words. Let's begin...

Sit, Set and Sat. 'To Sit' is the infinitive form of a verb about sitting, such as sitting in a chair. "Johns is sitting in the chair." "The book sits on the table over there." This is a placement verb, about where something is placed. It is not an action verb.

'To Set' is an action verb almost always used with inanimate objects, such as tables, chairs, books...anything that's not a person. It is not a placement verb, because it is an action verb and only denotes action. "I set the vase of flowers on the table." "Set the book on the shelf, please!" "Mary set the magazine down on the kitchen counter."

'Sat' is the simple past form of the verb 'To Seat (oneself).' This is an action verb and is only used with animate objects, such as people and animals. "John sat himself down on the sofa." "Mary sat down on the divan." "I sat down in the living room to read a book."

Lie and Lay. 'To Lie' has two different meanings. It can mean "to not tell the truth" or it can mean "placed in a horizontal position." 'To Lie' is conjugated the same, no matter which meaning it is given. As a placement verb, 'To Lie' does denote action. It only denotes placement. "Mary is lying on the bed." "The book is lying on the table." "The software manual is lying on the desk."

'To Lay' is an action verb and is not used to denote static position at all. "I will lay down on the bed for a nap." "John laid the book on the table." "Mary always lays her schoolbooks down there."

They're, Their and There. 'They're' is a contraction of the words "They are." "They're going out on a date tonight." "They're buying some popcorn for the movie."

'Their' is a possessive pronoun used with non-specified gender individuals or with more than one individual. "Somebody left their homework in the classroom. Their papers are still here." "Mom and Dad are getting a divorce. Their marriage is over." "Their car is still here. They must be home."

'There' is a non-specific adverb used to denote location or a pronoun used to denote existence. "Put the groceries over there." "I frequently buy fresh flowers over there." "There is a great restaurant on Gaines Street."