After the hurricane, uprooted trees were laying all over the ground.

were laying
lying
were lying
were laid
was laid

authors choose a genre based on their purpose. fiction works well for teaching a lesson, as in fables. however, presenting facts and opinions in nonfiction might be a better way to present information. when authors begin to write, they think about what they want the reader to understand or experience. while fiction may be the best genre for storytelling, nonfiction may be the most clear for sharing facts, so both genres have merits.

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