A man was hung or hanged?


Don't know if I'm in the right 'forum' but would like any input. I am sure that the correct grammar is 'hanged'? A picture is or was 'hung' but a man was hanged? This is just to settle an argument with a friend of mine! BTW I'm from England if that makes any difference - maybe Americans think 'hung' is correct?
22:08 Fri 03rd Jul 2009
 
Best Answer


No best answer has yet been selected by genypha. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.

For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.

1 to 7 of 7

this was all aired extensively on here before
Question Author
.... example .... he was hanged by the neck but hung for several minutes until he died?
Question Author
.. example .... he was hanged by the neck, but hung for several minutes before he died?
you're right. As people aren't hanged much any more (the Americans mostly use other methods) it may be that 'hanged' just falls out of use and 'hung' is used in all cases; languages change like that.
From Penguin Usage and Abusage (1999):

hanged is used of capital punishment only 'He was hanged' not hung 'yesterday'; 'The executioner hanged the criminal'.

Hung, preterite and past participle, is applied to things, as in 'The picture was hung too low', and 'I hung the picture as high as I could.'
Question Author
thank you for your input - and I'm sorry, grasscarp, I hadn't realised it had been asked previously

1 to 7 of 7

Latest posts