Hello everyone, A question of correct grammar arose at work today when attempting to properly stencil instructions onto the lids of crates. The crates are to be sent to anohter insitution with very specific un/packing instructions. The debate centered around the question of which was correct: "LAY FLAT TO UNPACK" or "LIE FLAT TO UNPACK". After consulting the _Chicago Manual of Style_ , _Webster's Third_, the museum's editor and a professor in an English Department, "LAY" was decided upon because it is theoretically considered to be and *active* word, versus the *static* "LIE", ie one is to perform the act of correctly positioning the crates before removing objects. This seems especially appropriate because the same crates that need to be layed flat before emptying will travel in an upright position. In other words, stenciled arrows require that the crates be shipped in a manner other than that in which they should be emptied. May I have opinions on the issue? I'm curious to know what the popular consensus is (although I'm sure that AAM has prescribed guidlines for such dilemmas). Thanks, Michael ([log in to unmask])