Know Your English (Dec 2001)-6

Know your English

What is the difference between``hanged''and``hung''?

The word ``hang'' has several different meanings. When you ``hang'' a person, you kill him/her by tying a rope around his/her neck and taking the support away from under his/her feet. When ``hang'' is used in this sense, then the two other forms of the verb are ``hanged'' : ``hang, hanged, hanged''. Here are a few examples.

*The innocent man was hanged yesterday.

*The prisoner will be hanged at noon tomorrow.

The word can also be used with objects. When you ``hang'' an object what you are doing is that you are fastening it to something or suspending it from something. When you use the word in this sense, then its past tense and past participle form is ``hung''. To make a long story short, people are hanged and objects are hung. Here are a few examples.

*The players hung their caps on the hooks.

*Vyomakesh wanted the balloons to be hung from the ceiling.

*The two children hung their coats before coming in.

Source:

The Hindu daily, Tuesday, Dec 18, 2001