Meaning & use
therein lies
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Meaning
phrasefixed phraseformal
Used to say that the important point, cause or difficulty can be found in the thing you have just mentioned.
Grammar: Comes before the noun it introduces: therein lies the problem. With a plural noun the verb becomes lie: therein lie the risks.
Patterns
- therein lies the problem
- therein lies the difference
- therein lies the answer
The recipe needs only three ingredients, but therein lies the difficulty: each one has to be perfect.
He wants to lead without ever being disliked, and therein lies his problem.
The town is cheap and quiet, and therein lies its charm for retired couples.
Common combinations
- therein lies the problem
- The plan is brilliant on paper, but therein lies the problem: nobody has the money to carry it out.
- therein lies the difference
- One team practices to win, the other practices to improve, and therein lies the difference.
- therein lies the beauty
- The game has only two rules, and therein lies the beauty of it.
- therein lies the irony
- She became a famous writer by hating books, and therein lies the irony.
- therein lies the answer
- Ask what the customer actually wants, and therein lies the answer.
Synonyms and how they differ
- that is where the problem lies
- It is plainer and more conversational, and it works in speech where therein lies would sound stagey.
- herein lies
- It points forward to something in the text or situation you are about to describe, whereas therein lies points back to what was just said.
- this is the crux
- It names the central point more bluntly and has no literary flavor.
Word family
Commonly confused: therein lies or therein lays?
therein lies vs therein lays
This is a common error. Lies is the verb to lie (to be located), not lay, so the correct form is therein lies.
Practice
The salary is excellent, but ____ the catch: you must work every weekend.
Choose one answer.
Therein lies is the fixed phrase, with a singular verb because the catch is singular. Therein lays uses the wrong verb, and therein lie would need a plural noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “therein lies”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.