Flat on her back

[terminator]

Test No. incompl/advan-68 "Back Again", question 9

Poor woman since she got knocked down by a car, she's been ......... on her back.

(a) flat
(b) prone
(c) laying
(d) straight

Test No. incompl/advan-68 "Back Again", answer 9

Poor woman since she got knocked down by a car, she's been flat on her back.

Correct answer: (a) flat

Hi! tell me the meaning of the expression "flat of her back".
Many thanks
Terminator

[Alan]

Hi Terminator,

This means lying on your back and not able to move.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
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[Guest]

Hi there,

Could you please remind me the differences between 'lie' and 'lay'. I still have a doubt about 'lying'.

Thank you

[Alan]

Hi,

Let's look at the principal parts of these two verbs:

Present / Past / Past participle

lie lay lain

lay laid laid

So if something is horizontal it lies on the ground

If you put that thing on the ground: You lay it on the ground

And if you change the tenses, they become:

it is lying on the ground it has lain on the ground

I am laying it on the ground I have laid it on the ground

As you can see lie/lay/lain is intransitive (no object) and lay/laid/laid is transitive (+ object)

There is another problem and that is the other verb lie/lied/lied, which means not telling the truth.

Unfortunately if you say/write : He is lying. It could possibly mean he is horizontal or he is not telling the truth. Of course you would know from the rest of the writing/conversation which was which.

Hope this helps

Alan
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English as a Foreign Language
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[Guest]

Thanks Alan. I remember now having been taught this in medium school!

Nelly