Dear BA:

You wrote:
> I’m trying to figure out why my Word grammar check highlighted the word
> “lies” in the following sentence: “Therein lies the problem.” It
> suggested the word “lays” which makes no grammatical sense to me at all.
> Is this possibly just an error? I wonder if it might be since when I type
> “The problem lies therein,” grammar check doesn’t object. Can you shed
> some light? Thanks!
>
The checker looks for patterns. It does not think or read anyone’s mind.

“Lie” is an intransitive verb; it is not followed by a direct object. (For help, click on the “Look in Grammar Slammer” button, or look for “Lay vs. Lie” under “Common Mistakes and Choices“). Therefore, when the checker sees the verb “lies” followed by the article “the” plus a noun, it looks like the verb is being followed by a direct object. It is not in the case above because the sentence is inverted–the subject follows the verb. The checker has a “reason” to flag this pattern, but you have just as good a reason to simply click “ignore.”

In the second instance, the verb “lies” is followed by an adverb, so there is no indication that there might be a direct object; therefore, as you put it, the checker does not object.

If you have not done so, we recommend reading the “What to Expect in Grammar Programs” file which comes with Grammar Slammer. That will give you an idea of what checkers can and cannot do. They are helpful tools, but they are meant to help you decide.