Writers Tricks of the Trade Issue 3 Volume 9 | Page 27

Correct: "Alligators in the sewers is an urban
legend." / Al Capone was a legendary gangster
in Chicago.
•Verbal means in linguistic form and does not
mean oral, spoken.
Correct: Visual memories last longer than verbal
ones.
•To lie (intransitive: lies, lay, has lain) means to
recline; to lay (transitive: lays, laid, has laid)
means to set down; to lie (intransitive: lies, lied,
has lied) means to fib.
Correct: He lies on the couch all day. / He lays a
book upon the table. / He lies about what he
does.
A N INTERESTING EXAMPLE OF THE EFFECT OF USING DIFFERENT VERBS
ON CERTAINTY AND UNCERTAINTY
F ALL 2019
P AGE 23
W RITERS ’ T RICKS OF THE T RADE