[@Kho] I'll give you the problem sentences:

[quote=@Muttonhawk]
Cinead [b]laid[/b] awake, staring at the yellowing morning sky. Inga's breathing [b]rose[/b] and lowered gently beside him.
[/quote]

I was uneasy about those two sentences. The first one, I found out, was incorrect and the second one was correct. Thing is, I couldn't tell at face value why they were so. I guess I didn't have the intuition in my head to separate 'laid' and 'lied' in that context for whatever reason.

The written rule isn't too hard to understand.

[hider=NEEEERRRRD]
Transitive verbs have the thing that is verbing (an object) directly after they are written.
- The man LAID 'the book' on the table
- The crane RAISED 'the girder' onto the building
- Cinead LAID 'his fears' to rest

Intransitive verbs don't have the verbing thing right after they are written, e.g.
- The man LIED on his bed
- The crane ROSE under its own power
- Cinead LIED awake, staring at the yellowing morning sky

But you don't normally need to worry because plenty of verbs can do both (they're ambitransative):
- You will EAT 'a meal' three times today. (Transitive)
- You will EAT three times today. (Intransitive)
[/hider]
Thing is, knowing this rule is a blessing and a curse because now I have a reason to be pedantic about something that probably won't be noticed by most people. Stoopit grammar, grumblegrumble...