Hang/hung

[Anonymous]

How does it work please help.
He was hanged yesterday.
he hanged himself?
He is a hanged man.
If i replaced these with hung would i be wrong??
Yes? or would both be acceptable sometimes?

[gwendolinest]

When the verb “to hang” means “to kill or die by hanging”, its past tense is “hanged”. In other senses, the past tense is “hung”.

Thus, “he hanged himself” means “he committed suicide by hanging”. OTOH, “he hung himself” means “he suspended himself (with a rope, etc)”.

()

[RonBee]

Comments.

How does it work please help.
He was hanged yesterday.
he hanged himself?
He is a hanged man.
If i replaced these with hung would i be wrong??
Yes? or would both be acceptable sometimes?

Re:
How does it work please help.

How does it work? Please help.

Re:
He was hanged yesterday.
He hanged himself.

Those are both good.

Re:
He is a hanged man.

Um, no.

If i replaced these with hung would i be wrong??

If I replaced these with hung would I be wrong?

Yes.

or would both be acceptable sometimes?

Or would both be acceptable sometimes?

No, they don't mean the same things (as Gwen pointed out).

8)

Regards,

[gwendolinest]

He is a hanged man.

Um, no.

That sounds all right to me.

(:?)

[vladz]

Both hanged and hung are acceptable past tense of hang which differs in use. Hanged refers to an object, He hanged his coat at the window pane. Hung in the other hand refers to a person, The criminal was hung last week.

I hope it helps.

[RonBee]

He is a hanged man.

Um, no.

That sounds all right to me.

(:?)

What would a person mean by "He is a hanged man"?

I would say "He was hung" (by the neck). You could also say "He is hung" (vulgar colloquial, as dictionaries probably term it).

I am not at all sure what "He is a hanged man" is supposed to mean.

:?

[RonBee]

Both hanged and hung are acceptable past tense of hang which differs in use. Hanged refers to an object, He hanged his coat at the window pane. Hung in the other hand refers to a person, The criminal was hung last week.

Not exactly.

hang (def. 3): past tense and past participle hanged (hăngd).
a. To execute by suspending by the neck: They hanged the prisoner at dawn.
b. Used to express exasperation or disgust: I'll be hanged! Hang it all!

Example (judge to convict):
"You are sentenced to be hanged until dead."

USAGE NOTE Hanged, as a past tense and a past participle of hang, is used in the sense of “to put to death by hanging,” as in Frontier courts hanged many a prisoner after a summary trial. A majority of the Usage Panel objects to hung used in this sense. In all other senses of the word, hung is the preferred form as past tense and past participle, as in I hung my child's picture above my desk.

8)

[gwendolinest]

I am not at all sure what "He is a hanged man" is supposed to mean.

:?

I take it to mean “he is a man who has been hanged”.

()

[RonBee]

I am not at all sure what "He is a hanged man" is supposed to mean.

:?

I take it to mean “he is a man who has been hanged”.

()

Um, wouldn't that be a corpse (assuming the hanging was successful)?

8)

[gwendolinest]

Would you say “he is a hanged corpse”?

()