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Review: Frequently Confused Verbs, Answer 2.2

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Question:
The cows were laying in the field even though it was raining.
Answer:
The answer incorrectly formed compound verb is correct.
Explanation:
The compound verb were laying is transitive, but the sentence describes the position of the cows, not the act of lying down. Thus, the correct answer is were lying.


© Department of English, Faculty of Arts, University of Ottawa, 2024

Date Modified: 2015-10-15

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