lay apart

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "lay apart" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate the action of placing something away from others or separating items from a group. Example: "Please lay apart the documents that need to be signed from the ones that are already completed."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Because the parameters were quantified over the bundles, our analysis was less affected than voxel-by-voxel analyses, and distortions were most prominent in the frontal regions, which lay apart from the majority of the bundles analyzed in our study.

Brain Structure and Function

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

I was thinking these things when he said casually, lying apart from me now, 'That was for him, by the way.' "I was still catatonic, and unsure what he meant, when he added, 'Because he still likes you, even though you're being such a cunt.' "I lay there for a minute.

The New Yorker

Yeats's magical world, with its emblematic winds and streams and ships and gold, here and there blends with a world of gritty experience: The bottle is drunk out by one; At two, the book is shut; At three, the lovers lie apart.

The New Yorker

Given that you'd need eagle eyes and an eidetic memory to remember who ordered what without doing the grand "So what did you order?" table survey, you wonder where the time and social gain really lies, apart from dealing with the numerically- or generosity-challenged who think that adding 12.5% to a bill means rounding up to the nearest pound.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

It should be noted however that each of He2 atoms lies apart further from the center of C20 void as compared to the situation with the single He atom [28], so that the charge repelled by He1 can, in principle, induce an increase of population on He2 and vice versa.

Nanoscale Research Letters

Where once a single touch could make you melt in a frenzy of passion, now you may lie apart and think about the kids, the bills and the mortgage.

Huffington Post

This suggests that mitochondria undergo basal mitophagy (no accumulation of mitochondria in lysosomal fractions) or alternatively both organelles lie apart from each other.

EMBO Molecular Medicine

In addition, a docking model of the tertiary structure of BACE1 with bisected N-glycans showed that all glycans lie apart from the catalytic center (Supplementary Fig S4C).

EMBO Molecular Medicine

This particular woodland caribou lay torn apart in the grass, eyes glazed white with death.

The Guardian

The last village she'd identified from the tower was Henning; its church lay quite apart from the village, usually a sign of an old structure.

The New Yorker

The narrator of "Vertigo" offers a fair account of Mr Sebald's intricate methods, when he describes himself as "drawing connections between events that lay far apart but which seemed to me to be of the same order".

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "lay apart" when you want to emphasize a physical separation or arrangement of objects being placed in distinct locations or directions.

Common error

Be careful not to confuse "lay", a transitive verb that requires a direct object, with "lie", an intransitive verb that does not. "Lay" means to place something down, while "lie" means to be in a horizontal position. Incorrect: "I'm going to lie the book on the table." Correct: "I'm going to lay the book on the table."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "lay apart" functions as a verb phrase indicating the action of placing items or things separately. Examples from Ludwig show its use in describing physical arrangements or separation, aligning with Ludwig AI's assessment of the phrase as usable and correct.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

50%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "lay apart" is a grammatically sound phrase used to describe the act of placing items separately. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's usable in written English, though not very common. It appears in contexts ranging from scientific articles to news media, suggesting a broad applicability. When using "lay apart", ensure you intend to convey the physical separation of items. If you need alternatives, consider options like "set aside" or "separate out" for similar meanings.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

remain separate

Stresses the continued state of being divided or not joined.

set aside

Emphasizes reserving something for a specific purpose or keeping it separate.

separate out

Highlights the act of distinguishing and removing something from a larger group.

keep distinct

Focuses on maintaining a clear difference between two or more things.

diverge from

Highlights a difference in direction, opinion, or path.

distance oneself

Implies a deliberate action to create emotional or physical space.

disassociate from

Implies a formal or public withdrawal of support or connection.

stand alone

Suggests independence and lack of connection to other things.

break away

Indicates a forceful separation or secession from a larger entity.

part ways

Often used in the context of relationships or collaborations ending.

FAQs

How can I use "lay apart" in a sentence?

You can use "lay apart" to describe arranging items separately. For example, "Lay apart the clean laundry from the dirty laundry before starting."

What does "lay apart" mean?

"Lay apart" means to place items or objects separately from each other. It emphasizes the action of arranging things in a distinct manner, ensuring they are not touching or mixed together.

What are some alternatives to "lay apart"?

Alternatives to "lay apart" include "set aside", "separate out", or "keep distinct" depending on the specific context.

When is it appropriate to use "lay apart"?

It's appropriate to use "lay apart" when you want to clearly convey the action of placing items in a separated arrangement. For example, you might say, "Lay apart the different types of seeds so they don't mix."