can lie of

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "can lie of" is not correct in standard written English.
It seems to be a misuse of the verb "lie" and does not convey a clear meaning. Example: "He can lie of his achievements, but the truth will eventually come out."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Science

Wiki

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Stories can be true and documents can lie, of course, but there's still a difference between them.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

He can lie out of both sides of his mouth at the same time, and if he ever caught himself telling the truth, he'd lie just to keep his hand in".

Independent

We can dismiss Clinton, just as Harry Truman memorably dismissed Richard Nixon, as a "no-good, lying bastard" who can lie out of both sides of his mouth at the same time even when there's no particular reason to.

Huffington Post

Platforms of trampled vegetation serve as individual resting places where sitatungas can lie out of water in daytime.

Encyclopedia Britannica

The bank will provide its account holders with slimline SIMs that they can lay on top of their existing mobile phone SIM cards.

BBC

It's not an exit poll those are done by asking voters who they voted for, and voters can lie (students of American political history will be familiar with "the Bradley effect").

The Economist

Our study identifies systemic, metabolic pathway derangements that can lie downstream of primary mitochondrial lesions, with implications for understanding how the organelle contributes to rare and common diseases.

Cell Reports

Parents, like therapists, can lay out the limits of what we can keep private.

The New York Times - Health

With the floor prepped and the center marked, you can lay out the design of the tile.

WikiHow

But on the other side of that can lie the kind of gratitude that truly moves your heart and shifts your life.

Forbes

If those who lied us into the war can lie us out of it too, then we are no better equipped to stop them the next time.

The Guardian - Opinion

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "can lie of". Instead, use "can lie about" or "can lie to" depending on whether you are referring to the subject of the lie or the person being lied to.

Common error

The phrase "can lie of" is often a result of confusion with the correct preposition to use after the verb "lie". Remember that "lie about" refers to the subject of the falsehood, while "lie to" refers to the person being deceived.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "can lie of" functions incorrectly as it attempts to combine the modal verb can with the verb lie and the preposition of. Ludwig AI flags this phrase as incorrect, and the analyzed examples suggest a misunderstanding of proper prepositional usage with the verb "lie".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "can lie of" is grammatically incorrect in standard English, as confirmed by Ludwig AI. The correct alternatives are "can lie about", referring to the subject of the lie, and "can lie to", indicating the person being deceived. While the analyzed examples touch on various contexts like news, encyclopedias, science, wiki, and academia, the rarity and incorrectness of the phrase suggest avoiding it in formal and professional communication. Instead, opt for the grammatically sound alternatives to ensure clarity and accuracy in your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

can lie about

Replaces 'of' with 'about' to indicate the subject of the lie, making it grammatically correct and clearer.

can lie to

Changes 'of' to 'to', focusing on the recipient of the lie, which is grammatically sound.

is able to lie about

Emphasizes the ability to lie using "is able to" and clarifies the subject with "about".

can tell a lie about

Uses the phrase "tell a lie" to replace "lie" providing a more common expression, focusing on the subject with "about".

is capable of lying about

Highlights capability of lying, making it formal and specifying the topic with "about".

can deceive regarding

Replaces "lie" with "deceive", changing the focus to misleading someone about something.

can mislead concerning

Substitutes "lie" with "mislead", shifting the emphasis to leading someone to a wrong conclusion with focus on topic.

can prevaricate on the subject of

Uses "prevaricate" for a more formal tone, indicating evasion rather than direct lying about a subject.

has the capacity to fabricate stories about

Replaces the act of lying with the "fabrication of stories", highlighting the creation of falsehoods with a specific subject.

is prone to misrepresenting facts regarding

Indicates a tendency to distort facts instead of direct lying, specifying it with a particular subject.

FAQs

What's the correct way to use "lie" with a preposition?

The correct usages are "lie about" to specify the subject of the lie and "lie to" to indicate who is being lied to. For example, "He can "lie about" his age" or "He can "lie to" the police".

Is "can lie of" ever grammatically correct?

No, "can lie of" is not grammatically correct in standard English. The correct prepositions to use with "lie" are "about" or "to", depending on the context.

What can I say instead of "can lie of"?

Depending on the intended meaning, you can use alternatives such as "can "lie about"" or "can "lie to"". For example, "He can "lie about" his whereabouts" or "He can "lie to" his friends".

Which is correct, "can lie about" or "can lie to"?

"Can "lie about"" and "can "lie to"" are both correct, but they have different meanings. "Can "lie about"" refers to the subject of the lie, while "can "lie to"" refers to the person being lied to.